Under The Stars: Book 1
by FrozenScarlet
Summary: The outstandng Kuchiki Rukia leaves her hometown, Tokyo, and enters a new area called Karakura Town. From an all-girls school to an all gender school, how will this girl live through her first year in Karakura Academy? IchigoxRukiaxRenji or Ichiruki
1. Prolouge

Author's note: Here's a new story (related to Bleach)! I have decided to call it "Under the Stars." I'm going to try not using ANY OC but I won't totally swear that. I know that I'm starting another story (still trying to finish the Ice and Fire Collide omake, Last Samurai, a FMA omake, and a random Soul Eater story) but I think it would be fun to try this. Like the Soul Eater story, I may just have one chapter and wait until something happens for me to keep updating on this story.

Anyways, this is just a simple prologue and character information. Yes, character information; in other words there won't be any shinigami related stuff. Anyways, remember to tell me what you think! ^^

.:: Under the Stars ::.

Prologue and Character Profile

_School Profile 1:_

_Name: Rukia Kuchiki_

_Age: 15_

_GPA: 4.0_

_School History: She attended Tsukihime Academy for Young Women from middle school to freshman of high school. As of this year, she will attend Karakura Academy to resume her sophomore to senior years._

_School Profile 2:_

_Name: Ichigo Kurosaki_

_Age: 15_

_GPA: 3.5_

_School History: He attended Onizuka Middle School then transferred to Karakura Academy to start his freshman year. As of this year, he is continuing his education in Karakura Academy._

_School Profile 3:_

_Name: Renji Abarai_

_Age: 15_

_GPA: 3.8_

_School History: He attended Seireitei Academy for his middle school but transferred to Karakura Academy to begin his freshman year. As of this year, he is continuing his education in Karakura Academy._

_School Profile 4:_

_Name: Toushiro Hitsugaya_

_Age: 14_

_GPA: 4.0_

_School History: Attended Seireitei Academy for his middle school but transferred to Karakura Academy. Because of his high grades and exceptional records, he skipped freshman year and of this year, continuing his education in Karakura Academy as a sophomore._

I slowly put the last folder into the cabinet.

"We are going to have an interesting school year…." I thought then I heard a knock on the door. I opened the door and the assistant principal, Shinji Hirako, came inside.

"Headmaster Yama, how you been?" Hirako asked. "The new school year starts tomorrow. Are you ready yet?"

"Hm, I will not answer. The new students that are transferring here are strong, intelligent students yet there is something bothering me."

Hirako cocked his head. "What's there to be worried about, Headmaster?"

"Hueco Mundo High."

The words seemed to have surprised him for a quick second but returned to his normal demure. "Eh, what's wrong with them?"

I turned to look out the window. "Their new headmaster is what's wrong."

A deathly silence filled the room. Hirako sighed.

"We'll be ready for him, Headmaster Yama. Besides, Karakura Academy ain't no normal academy, ya know."

"Yes…I know."

Karakura Academy to the naked eye is a normal Academy with gifted students, either in sports, academics, even socially. In reality, we hold a dark secret….

"I better go and get my stupid speech ready, Headmaster Yama. See you tomorrow at the coronation." Hirako said and walked out of the room, adding a small wave of goodbye. I waited a few moments until taking a seat and taking out a sheet of paper and a pen.

"To the students of Karakura Academy…." I wrote. "You have arrived to a new surrounding. Many of you are transfers. Do not worry students. Here, in Karakura Academy, there is nothing to worry about……"

Xx The next day…. xX

"Freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniors, you all will become strong, intelligent citizens of Japan after your experience here in Karakura. As your headmaster, I promise your lives will change starting this year."

Cheers filled the air as Headmaster Yamamoto finished his speech. The old man never changes…

"Headmaster Aizen, there are people comin' in." My assistant whispered in my ear. I smirked.

"Alright. Work must be done." I turned around and walked down the hallway of Karakura Academy. Yes, this will certainly be a good year.


	2. The New School

Author's Note: So, here's the first chapter of my new story, Under the Stars. I'm slightly excited and at the same time, I'm nervous. It's a new story that I really plan to make it an ichiruki story. It's my first time trying to write something like this so….don't blame the terrible-ness in the story! If you feel any vibes of suck-ness and crapiness, then please, click the close button on the top right. But, I'm excited because I wanted to tribute the entire story to my friend Bree, aka, RozenPitch or MakaWaffle (on youtube, at least). So, I hope you guys like it…..don't blame me if it sucks.

.: Under The Stars :.

Book 1 – sophomore

The new school

Sleep. There are various worlds to describe what it means, more so, there are various worlds you can enter. Unfortunately, sleep has no end at one point or another….

"GOOD MORNING, KARAKURA TOWN!" My eyes shot open as I heard my radio alarm clock suddenly turn on. "Today is the new year for students all over town and Japan!"

The person continued to ramble on until I found the off button and shut him up for now. The silence felt nice, but it wasn't going to last long. I slowly got out of bed and looked through my cabinets for my uniform. I heard a quiet knock on the door.

"Rukia, are you awake?" It was my sister, Hisana. I put the uniform on my bed and opened the door.

"Yes, onee-chan. I'm just getting ready for school."

I had arrived to Karakura Town under the advice of my sister. She wanted me to leave the busy cities of Tokyo and come to a slightly quieter and calmer surrounding, in other words, Karakura Town. She even said that after she got married to Byakuya Kuchiki, or my new nee-sama, my life would be much better. I was reluctant to leave Tokyo because I already attended probably one of the greatest schools in Japan, Tsukihime Academy for Young Women. In the end though, Hisana-onee-chan got me to agree to leave Tokyo.

"I know you must be troubled." She said, her voice soft like a cloud. "But you will enjoy going to Karakura Academy."

I simply nodded, took my uniform and other accessories, and went inside the bathroom. It was strange at first. For my entire middle school and freshman year at Tsukihime, I lived in a dormitory. When I learned that Karakura Academy did not have one, I was astounded for a good portion of time.

"So I have to return here every day after school?" I had asked Hisana that day. She replied with a soft chuckle.

"Of course. Where else do you go? Of course, you don't have to directly come back from school. You can hang out with your friends…or go to the library….or whatever you wish to do."

There were many other things that were strange about Karakura Academy. Yet there was one thing that didn't seem to leave my head when I heard this…: Karakura Academy allowed girls AND boys. For most of my life, I had attended all girl schools, most notably Tsukihime. This was probably the biggest shock to me. I didn't tell Hisana about that surprise.

After finishing putting on my new uniform, I walked back into my room and looked at myself in the mirror. The uniform back at Tsukihime was a navy blue blouse and a white and black skirt, the Tsukihime insignia on the top right part of the sleeve. The Karakura uniform was a white blouse under a brown vest with the academy insignia on the shirt pocket and the skirt was grey. After staring at myself for a few moments, I grabbed a hair clip on my desk and put it on my hair. The hair clip was a special gift from an old friend. He was the first guy friend I ever made yet due to the different schools we went, we were often separated. In the end, we found a way to be together and the day before I left, he gave me the hair clip as a remembrance gift…

I snapped out of my memories, grabbed my bag, and walked downstairs. Hisana had already set up a nice bento on the table.

"Thank you, onee-san." I said as I took the bento from the table and into my bag. "Where is nee-sama?"

"Byakuya-sama is at work, Rukia…he will not come home until later tonight."

"Oh, I see."

Byakuya was a professor at one of the universities close to Karakura. Everyone, from what I heard, respected him to the very high standards and was honored to be in his class. Unfortunately, he was a difficult teacher, often giving quizzes and tons of homework to the poor students who may have him. But of course, he teaches well.

"Would you like me to take you to school?" Hisana asked. I shook my head.

"It's alright. I went to the Academy yesterday afternoon. I know where it is."

"Ok. Be careful."

I nodded, grabbed my chapter book that I was reading, and walked out of the house. As I walked down the sidewalk, I saw people with the same uniforms that I was wearing. They were pairs or threesomes, giggling and laughing at jokes I did not understand as I heard them. There was a pair that I was slightly walking behind and I started to overhear their conversation.

"How was your weekend, Orihime?" A girl with black, slightly spiky hair asked.

"It was great, Tatsuki!" The girl with long, orange hair said. "What about you?"

"Hm, it was ok. I had a karate tournament."

"Yeah! I saw you! You really beat those guys!"

Tatsuki laughed. "I heard you cheering! You really out-yelled the audience!"

The two laughed together and continued walking. I looked down. I wonder if I'll ever fit in.

After a few minutes, I arrived at the campus. Karakura Academy was a big school, having five large buildings placed specially in a form of a square. The buildings had large signs on it saying "freshman," "sophomore," "junior," and "senior," each having their own insignia beside from the Karakura Academy insignia. The fifth building, being right in the middle, I assumed being the main building that had the offices and other things. How original.

As I stared at the buildings with surprise, I felt someone bump into me, dropping my chapter book and myself to the ground.

"Whoa, sorry. I didn't mean to that." I got myself up and turned around, staring at the person who had bumped into me and apologized. To my horrible surprise, it was a guy. A GUY! He showed his hand. "Let me help you up."

Since I found this very gentleman like, I took his hand and he helped me up.

"It looks you're a sophomore." He said when he noticed the insignia on my uniform. He smiled. "You must be new since I've never seen you before. My name is Kurosaki Ichigo, sophomore."

I nodded. "My name is Kuchiki Rukia, a pleasure to be your acquaintance."

He sighed in response. "I don't know what school you came from but you don't have to be formal.

I gave him a quick glare. "I can be formal if I wish to be."

He shrugged. "See you later."

Then, he walked off. Boys….I will never understand them. As I looked around, I heard the speakers come on.

"All students go to the auditorium for the introduction ceremony." The voice said. "If you need help finding where it is, ask any of the teachers."

XxXxXxX

"Kurosaki…" I turned around and saw Ishida Uryuu appear with Chad. I gave a wave.

"Uryuu, Chad, what's up?"

Chad nodded. "Good."

Uryuu lifted his glasses up. "Better than most summers."

"You're such a pessimist, Uryuu." I said.

"I don't care."

"We better go to the auditorium." I heard Chad say and Uryuu and I nodded. As we walked, I remembered that girl I bumped into. Rukia Kuchiki? I shrugged it off. I probably won't see her again, either way. She probably has a negative image of me because of that glare…Girls, I really don't understand them.

We arrived at the auditorium and took our seats. Then, I felt someone tap on my shoulder. I turned and saw Orihime and Tatsuki.

"Hey, Orihime." I said. "What's up, Tatsuki?"

Tatsuki shrugged while Orihime smiled.

"How was your summer?"

"The same for the past two years: helping my Dad at work and hanging out with Chad and Uryuu over here. What about you?"

"I went with Tatsuki during her Karate Tournament!"

I turned to look at Tatsuki and she smirked. "If you're wondering, yes, I won 1st place."

"Thanks."

Then, we saw the lights beginning to dim and all the talking was silenced. At that moment, everyone saw Headmaster Yamamoto walk up to the stage. Everyone has always wondered about him. For his old age, he has yet to retire.

"To the students of Karakura Academy, you have arrived to new surroundings. Many of you are transfers. Do not worry. Here, there is nothing to worry about. Freshman, sophomores, juniors, and seniors, you all will become strong, intelligent citizens of Japan after your experience here in Karakura. As your headmaster, I promise your lives will change starting this year."

All of the freshmen cheered ecstatically while the rest of us clapped with less enthusiasm. Once he left, the assistant principal came up on stage. I smirked. Now HE should be Headmaster then that old man…Mr Hirako raised his fist in the air.

"WELCOME NEW STUDENTS!" He yelled. Many of the juniors and seniors stood up and raised their fists along with him.

"ROCK ON, MR. HIRAKO!" They yelled back. He smiled and put his fist down.

"Alright guys, I'm not going to make this long cause…that ain't my thing. To make long story short, I hope this year is going to great! For the freshmans and new transfers, I hope you learn the steps of our school and how things flow. Now, this ceremony is finally over! Go to your first class, already!" Then he put his hands in his pockets and walked off the stage.

XxXxXxX

I stared at shock at the Mr. Hirako that left the stage. How…..interesting. If he tried to head our school, he would be brought down the second he tried. I stood up and looked at my paper. My first class was in Room 214: History. As I tried to make my way through the crowd, I bumped into another person. I prayed it wasn't that boy and thankfully, it was answered. I opened my eyes and noticed it was that orange haired girl. She turned around and gasped.

"Oh, I'm really sorry!" She said and helped me up. I shook my head.

"No, it was my fault. I bumped into YOU."

"Well, we can't really say when there are so many people around here." She cocked her head. "Are you new?"

"Um, yes…I am."

She smiled. "Ok. Well, my name is Inoue Orihime! This is my friend Arisawa Tatsuki."

Tatsuki smiled. "Good to meet ya uh…"

"My name is Kuchiki Rukia."

"What class do you have next, Rukia?" Tatsuki asked.

"History…Room 214."

"Oh, I have that class!" Orihime said. I gave a small smile.

"Could you lead me there?"

She laughed. "Maybe. I have terrible sense of direction! Maybe if we can find my friend Rangiku and Momo then we'll be able to find it!"

I gave her a confused look. "Who?"

She gave me a big grin. "You'll see! C'mon, while it's not that crowded now!"

I followed her through the hallway and into the outside again. I looked around and saw students running to their new buildings.

Soon, we arrived at the Sophomore Building. Orihime smiled.

"Yup, they're inside."

I still gave her a confused look as she opened the double doors. I gasped. Inside, the walls were decorated with white and teal ribbons. The floors were glass marble and the lockers were brown and white. I followed Orihime to an interesting area of the building. Unfortunately, it's hard to explain so this is the best I can put it: Think of the building as a huge square. In the middle of the huge square is another square. That square has 4 entrance ways, or hallways. Also in that square was where the stairs and elevators were. What's more interesting is that the square had benches in the middle as well as a skylight.

Orihime ran to two people that were sitting on the benches. One of them had ginger blond hair while the other had brunette, ponytail styled hair. I walked next to Orihime.

"Ok Rukia, these are my old friends Matsumoto Rangiku and Hinamori Momo. Guys, this is a new girl named Kuchiki Rukia."

The blond one, I think it was Rangiku, shook my hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Momo nodded. "It's good to have new people come to our school for a change."

Rangiku turned to her. "What are freshman to you?"

"I mean those who are transfers!"

"Oh, well, I guess that better explains things but whatever." Rangiku grabbed her bag and stood up. "So, where did you transfer from?"

"Tokyo."

The three girls gasped.

"Wow! So you're, well, a city girl then?" Momo asked. I smiled.

"Yeah, I guess you could put it that way."

"What about school?" Rangiku suddenly asked.

"Tsukihime Academy for Young Women."

These made the girls gasp louder.

"That's like, one of the most upper classmen schools in the nation! Why would someone like you want to come to this lower standing school?" Rangiku asked.

"Well, my sister lives here and wanted me to leave the city life behind and attend a place with a more peaceful and less stressful environment."

Rangiku smirked. "Well, you'll see that this place isn't what you would call 'peaceful' and 'stress-free' environment. What class do you have?"

"Um, History…room 214."

"Cool, you have Professor Ukitake first. He's a nice guy. I'll show you his room."

"Wait, what about you, Rangiku? Shouldn't you be getting to class yourself?"

She laughed and took out a badge. "I'm part of a group called Karakura Ambassadors and I get to help students learn the ways of the building and where each room is and stuff. It's a hard job, but someone has to do it. My partner in crime, Momo, is also part of the KArakura Ambassadors."

"Wow, that's cool." I murmured. Then I thought, "I wonder if I should join that group…"

Orihime and I quickly followed Rangiku to room 214.

XxXxXx

A few moments later, we arrived outside room 214.

"Enjoy class!" Rangiku chirped and walked away. Orihime opened the door and we walked inside. Desks were lined neatly along the middle of the room. Students were talking to each other, probably about how their summer went.

"Good morning." I turned to see a tall young man with white hair. Strangely enough, he didn't look like an old man at all, a reason why I call him young. "What's your names?"

"My name is Inoue Orihime!" Orihime said cheerfully. Ukitake smiled.

"Alright then, Ms. Inoue. Your seat is over there." He said and then turned to me.

"And what about you?"

"Kuchiki Rukia."

"A pleasure to meet you. Why don't you take a seat over there?" He pointed to a seat in front of….My eyes widened. It was that orange haired boy…what was his name again? I think it was Kurosaki Ichigo. I made my way towards the seat.

XxXxXx

I blinked with surprise. It was….uh…..crap, what was her name again? Well, it was that girl I bumped into by accident. She took her seat in front of mine.

"Hey." I said, trying to see if we could possibly make a conversation. She didn't respond.

"I know you're new and all, but you can talk to anyone here. You don't have to be shy."

"And if I don't want to talk to anyone here?" She snapped. I shrugged.

"Ok."

She gave me a look and turned around. I sighed. Great, she's still got an issue with me.

XxXxXx

I slapped my forehead. Did I really just say that? Whatever. He'll probably just shrug it off later on. Then Mr. Ukitake walked behind his desk when the bell rung.

"Good morning, class. I am Mr. Ukitake, your World History teacher. I know the first days can be rough for a lot of you. New surroundings, new building, maybe new people. Believe me, I went through it myself. At the same time, you should absorb the new surroundings and make friends. Learn from one another. That is all part of history itself. Now," He went through his desk cabinets and took out some papers. "I want everyone to know one another. Each of you will take a few moments to write answer the questions and after a few minutes, I'll tell you all the next step."

Then he handed the sheets. Once I got the paper and handed the extras back, I stared at the questions.

_What's your name?_

_How old are you?_

_What school did you attend before now?_

_What are you most excited about this year?_

I scoffed. Four questions? Back at Tsukihime, we would have 10 introduction questions and write in paragraphs. I sighed. This is much too easy. I wrote my answer and flipped my paper down. After waiting a few minutes, Mr. Ukitake came in front of the desk and gave a heart-warming smile.

"Ok, I assume everyone is done?"

There was a silence as everyone nodded. So, Mr. Ukitake continued.

"Now, I want each of you to stand in the front of the class and read your answer to the class."

There were moans and grunts. One girl raised her hand.

"Mr. Ukitake, do we really have to? We know most of the people here!"

He chuckled. "But I don't know any of you."

She sighed and slouched in her chair.

"Any volunteers?" Mr. Ukitake asked. Orihime raised her hand.

"I'll go first, Mr. Ukitake!" She said, stood up, and went up to the front of the class.

"Hi! Well, my name is Inoue Orihime. I'm 16 years old and I attended this same Academy for freshman! Oh, and I'm excited for making new friends!"

Mr. Ukitake smiled and handed her candy. "Thank you, Ms. Inoue. Any other volunteers?"

There was a silence but Mr. Ukitake just laughed.

"Well, I guess I'll just choose various people then." He looked around and pointed at someone. "Please, good sir, do you mind standing in front of the class and answering the questions?" I turned to see who stood up and I noticed it was white haired boy…Wait, he didn't even LOOK anywhere like 16…He had a set frown, but at the same time, he had a cool demure.

"My name is Hitsugaya Toushiro. I'm 14 years old…" He started but at that, many people gave him confused looks.

"Are you sure you're in the right class?" One of boys asked. Hitsugaya shrugged.

"I know I am. What about you?"

There was a tense silence that came out of that until he continued.

"I attended Seireitei Academy before coming here. I'm not exactly 'excited' for anything as well. May I take a seat?"

Mr. Ukitake sighed and gave him a piece of candy. "Sure."

Toushiro put the candy in his pocket and walked back to his seat. Mr. Ukitake looked around the room.

"Alright….How about you, ma'am?" He asked as he pointed at me. I took a deep breath, stood up, and walked to the front of the class.

"My name is Kuchiki Rukia, age 16. I attended Tsukihime Academy for most of my education and I guess I'm excited to live a less stressful life here."

A hand suddenly came up. "If you came from Tsukihime, then why'd you come here to Karakura?"

"Um….my sister wanted me to come here so I could get out of the city life in Tokyo."

Another hand came up. "What's Tokyo like?"

"Ha, you've never been to Tokyo?" Someone said. From there, the sounds of talking filled the room. Mr. Ukitake chuckled.

"Well, thank you, Ms. Kuchiki." He handed me some candy. I turned around and smiled.

"Thanks…." As I walked back to my desk, Mr. Ukitake smiled.

"Alright, alright, class. Let's continue on. How about you?" He pointed to the carrot behind me. He got up, and introduced himself.

"My name is Kurosaki Ichigo. I'm 16….attended this Academy for freshman….and I'm excited for…getting through this school year."

Some laughter entered the room as he took the candy and sat down. After his, I soon lost interest in the entire introduction thing….

XxXxXxXx

The bell finally rang and I took my stuff and went to Orihime's desk. She smiled when I came by her desk.

"Rukia-san, what class do you have next?" She asked cheerfully. I took out my schedule from my bag and unfolded it.

"I have…..Calculus, Room 220." Orihime frowned.

"Aw, I have Japanese next. Though, I have to admit, that's a really high level math."

I gave her a confused look. "Really? Back at Tsukihime, that's average level math..."

Orihime gasped. "Wow! So that means you must be REALLY smart!"

"I'm not that smart…." Then I glanced at the Toushiro kid. "Now that kid over there is smart. He's 14 and he's a sophomore!"

"I guess. But that doesn't change the fact that you're smart!"

I laughed. "I don't know…Anyways…have fun in Japanese."

"Just remember, you can talk to Rangiku or Momo and they'll know where the class is."

I nodded and walked out of the class. First thing, I went to the middle of the building. From there, I looked around. There were so many people walking that I felt that I couldn't find either of the two girls until I felt someone put their hand on my shoulder. I turned around and Momo was smiling at me.

"Hi, Rukia."

"Oh, hello….Momo, right?"

She nodded. "What class do you have next?"

"Um….Calculus…Room 220."

Her face brightened. "I have that class! C'mon, I'll show you where it is."

She grabbed my arm and dashed through the crowd of students. "Sorry, excuse me, sorry again!"

We soon arrived to Room 220.

"So who's the teacher?" I asked.

"Hm…you know…I don't really remember actually." She sighed. "It's hard remembering all the names of every single teacher in this building."

"Well, that's ok." I smiled. "I'm just glad I have someone I slightly know in that class."

"Hey, maybe after school, I can show you around campus. Well…unless you're busy that is…"

"Oh, well, I don't really have anything to do so…ok."

Momo's face shined as we continued walking down the hallway.

Ha Ha! Finally! First chapter is DONE! Bwahahahahaha! Ahem, anyways, this is the first time I've exceeded the normal 1,000 to 2,000 word limit (cough, cough, this story is around 3,800 words). That's excluding my omake that I'm doing, of course (Last Shinigami). Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this amazing-ness. xD Until then….


	3. Friends and Rivals

Author's Note: Alrighty, this is Chapter 2 of "Under the Stars"! Yay! Isn't that amazing…? You do understand that I was being sarcastic, right? I also want to give a huge thanks to the author of "Frozen Secret!" In her story, she has a thing called the Urahara Café and I really wanted to use that in my story. I also stole the athletic concept of soccer (you wouldn't get it unless you read Frozen Secret). I'm sorry for suddenly stealing the ideas (TT_TT I'm so horrible!) but I hope that giving you credit for that idea originally will make you feel better…. PLEASE DON'T GET MAAAAD! TT-TT You're a great story author and you're the friggin best! :D :D

Anyways, enjoy the story!

.: Under The Stars :.

Book 1 – sophomore

Friends and Rivals

The school day went by generally fine. I had Orihime, Rangiku, or Momo in at least every class. Unfortunately, that Ichigo guy was in 3 of my classes. Well, I guess that wasn't much of an issue I suppose…

The final bell rang and I put my folder into my bag. Momo walked up to my desk.

"Are you ready to go?" She asked. I smiled.

"In a second. I just need to put these up."

She nodded and looked out the window. "You're lucky that you got the window seat. You get to see what's going on outside."

"I guess. But I'm worried it'll cause distraction…"

Momo laughed. "Yeah, I agree. Last year, I had a window seat and I would always get distracted with the students who are in PE! Sensei would get mad at me and in the end, he moved me to the other side of the room!"

I laughed with her. "Well, that's interesting." I put my pencil pouch in the bag and closed it. "Alright, I'm ready to go."

We walked outside the building and I noticed that students were still around.

"Shouldn't they be going home?" I asked. Momo shook her head.

"Most students don't need to go home. Some just stay here until 5 and then they leave. After classes are over, this place sorta becomes a common hang-out place. Of course, once team tryouts begin and such, it'll be even more hectic then it is right now." She laughed. "Especially the soccer team."

"Oh, the school has a soccer team?"

"Yup. Though, it's weird because each grade has their own team. The freshman team is The Thunderbolts….personally, I never liked the name."

I shrugged. "Our soccer team had a stranger name. I remember back at Tsukihime…our soccer team was called Purinsesu Senshi, or Princess Warriors. I think that's a better martial art name then a soccer team name….but our Headmaster liked it and kept it the way it was."

"Wow, that sucks."

"Yeah. But we've won every game for the past 3 years. Before I left, I heard that the game schedule is going to change this year." I sighed. "Whatever the case, I only paid attention to the games because my friends were on the team."

"Why didn't you join?"

"I had other athletic teams myself."

"How many?"

"3. I was in gymnastics, women's kendo, and swimming."

"Wow! That's really cool!"

"But I've always wanted to try out for a soccer team. I doubt I'll make it though."

Momo made a face. "C'mon! You sound great! Gymnastics must have made you flexible! Kendo has helped you with power! Swimming has created speed! 3 of the things you need for soccer!"

I smiled. "You're just saying that…Anyways, you said you were going to show me around?"

"Oh! Right! Well, ok, um…" She looked around. "You know this is the Sophomore building. All the classes are there….Since you were a home lunch, you may not know where the cafeteria is. The cafeteria is in the main building right here…" We walked down to the building next to the Sophomore building. "You remember this building, right?"

"Isn't this where the auditorium is?" I asked. She nodded.

"The offices, the auditorium, the library, the cafeteria, and everything else are in there. Do you want to go inside?"

"Is it unlocked?"

"Yeah. It locks at around 4:30…" She looked at her watch. "10 minutes before what the school calls 'school lock-down'…It's weird because it's locked on the outside."

After a brief thought, I nodded and we walked inside. It was almost like the sophomore building except that the floors were black and white tiled and peach colored walls. The ceilings were filed with different artworks of various students.

"This is the cafeteria entrance." Momo said. "Unlike most schools, you don't need to bring a lunch from home. Besides, the food here is amazing!"

Then, we moved on the library.

"As you can see, there is no other rooms in this hallway where the library is…This is probably the quietest area in the entire building. At first, you may think it's an abandoned hallway. But at the very end is the library." Momo opened the door and we walked inside.

"Now," She whispered. "There are some students here reading."

"But there isn't any tests…." I whispered back. Momo let out a quiet laugh.

"Karakura Academy's library is like the public library. The school has one copy of ever book that came out in Japan AND America."

"Amazing…"

"So, that's why people are just here reading. All you need to get a book is having your student ID."

I nodded and we left the library. After exploring a little more, we quickly left the building. We walked down the pathway and passed by the Junior and Senior buildings.

"We're not allowed to enter those buildings until we're in that grade level. Don't worry, you wouldn't have to go in those buildings anyways."

Then, we made our way to the front gates of the school. Momo took a deep breath.

"And that's our school." We both laughed.

"Thank you for showing me around." I said and gave a small head bow. Momo sighed.

"You don't really have to be formal. Here, you can be laid back…Well, not too laid back." She laughed. "Anyways, do you want to get some ice cream?"

"Sure…"

Suddenly, I heard someone running towards us. We turned around and saw Rangiku and Orihime run towards us.

"Momo! Rukia! We've been looking for you all over the campus!" Rangiku said. "You made us run!"

"But it was good exercise." Orihime added. Rangiku grimanced.

"Do you see these shoes? They were brand new and now that you made us run, my shoes are ruined!"

"But you can always buy new ones." Momo said. Rangiku sighed.

"Maybe. Anyways, where are you guys going?"

"I was going to bring Rukia-san to that ice cream shop next to Urahara's café."

"Why the ice cream shop? Why don't we go to the café! Its way better then a stupid ice cream shop." Rangiku asked while crossing her arms.

"Urahara's…café?" I asked. Momo laughed.

"Well, that's not what the place is called. In reality, it doesn't really have a name. When you go past it, you'll notice that it doesn't have a name. So, we all decided to call it Urahara's café because it's a café and the owner is a man named Kisuke Urahara." Momo explained. "It's another great hang-out place."

"So, what are we waiting for? Lets show the new girl the place!" Rangiku said. She grabbed my arm and ran out the gate, her two friends running behind her. I smiled. Momo, Rangiku, and Orihime have been so kind to me…they act towards me as if we are already friends…Maybe Karakura won't be bad after all.

XxXxXxXx

"Hey, Ichigo!" I turned around and saw Keigo running towards me.

"What's up, Keigo?" I said, slowing down so he would catch up.

"It's been good. First day of school was pretty sweet. Whatcha think?"

I shrugged. "It was ok. But it's the first day of school."

"Hey, wanna head to Urahara's café?"

"Well, I need to get home to help my dad and…"

"Aw c'mon Ichigo! You never want to have fun!"

"What makes you think that I'll have fun at the café?"

"Well, that's where everyone is right now…"

"Exactly…Hey, maybe tomorrow, we'll go and hang out over there."

Keigo shrugged. "Whatever. Oh, are you going to try out for the soccer team this year?"

I looked up at the sky. "I'll think about it."

Suddenly, Keigo grabbed my shirt and started shaking me. "But you're one of our best players EVER!"

"Shut up, Keigo. I might just try out for track or something…"

"TRACK IS BULL CRAP! You're a soccer player and you should totally try-out!"

"I'll think about it, dude. Anyways, I need to get home. Talk to you tomorrow." Keigo let go and I continued on my way. As I walked, I began to remember the times I was in the soccer team. Ikkaku, Hisagi, and I used to be the strongest players on the team. We won almost every game except for The Espadas.

"D*nm you Grimmjow.." I thought to myself.

XxFlashbackXx

"Alright guys! Lets' go out there and beat the living crap out of The Espadas!" Hisagi yelled. We nodded and got into our formation. We were losing by one and there was only a minute of the clock. The ref got in the middle, holding the ball.

"Are you two ready?" He asked. Me and my opponent, number 6 Grimmjow, nodded. The ref blew the whistle and dropped the ball. In a flash, I got the ball to my possession and dashed down the field, quickly evading the opponents trying to get the ball.

"Ichigo! Pass me the ball!" From the corner of my eye, I saw Momo at the clear end. I slowed my pace and then quickly passed the ball to her. She dribbled it under her feet for a second and then dashed down the field with the ball. Momo was the first female player to try-out for the team and because there was no girl's soccer team in Karakura Academy and she had amazing soccer skills, we let her in. I noticed the opponents were coming near in almost every corner.

"Momo! Pass it to me!" I yelled. She kicked the ball to the side and before I could get the ball, number 6 took the ball, sped through the field, and kicked the ball into the goal. Our entire team froze. The buzzer rang.

"Espadas: 11, Thunderbolts: 9." The ref called out.

"D*nm it!" Ikkaku yelled, punching the bar of the goal post. Afterwards, we walked towards their team.

"Good game, Espadas." I said, showing my hand for a handshake. Number six turned around to face me.

"Sure." He took my hand and shook it but suddenly, he twisted my arm. I winced and kicked him in the leg. He let go and jumped back.

"You tryin' to pick a fight with me, Karakura?" Number 6 yelled. Suddenly, the ref came between us.

"What's going on here, boys?" He asked. Number 6 smirked.

"Yeah. Number 15 over there was trying to pick a fight with me."

I glared. "It's the other way around, Number 6."

"I was just giving you a kind handshake and then ya kicked me."

"Alright, both of you chill out." The ref said. "Kurosaki Ichigo, Jaegerjaquez Grimmjow, if you two boys want to fight, do it out of the field."

Soon, Ikkaku and Hisagi touched my shoulder.

"It's alright, dude." Ikkaku whispered. "We'll get them next time."

Grimmjow gave a menacing smile. "You chicken to fight, Kurosaki?"

There was a dark, tense silence between us. Suddenly, I saw one of Grimmjow's teammates, number 4 I think, come in. He had dark black hair, unusually pale skin, and green eyes.

"Are you trying to cause a scene, Grimmjow?" He asked. Grimmjow glared at him.

"The h*ll you care, Ulquiorra." Grimmjow snapped. Suddenly, Ulquiorra gave him a scary stare and Grimmjow simply grimaced. "D*nm you."

Soon, they turned around and left to their side.

"I'll never under them." Hisagi said. "I heard they are an elite group or something. It's like their almost abnormal."

"Nah, they're not abnormal. They just train like crazy." Ikkaku replied. "But I wouldn't be surprised if they are abnormal."

XxEnd of FlashbackXx

During that day, my Dad saw me and got mad, saying that it's dangerous if I continue playing soccer for Karakura Academy. It's stupid, but I didn't say anything. If my teammates weren't there to stop me, I probably would have fought. Besides, I have enough street knowledge to defend myself from people like him…

XxXxXxX

We finally arrived to the café. I looked up and noticed that it was two stories…

"Rangiku, you need to run a little slower." Orihime said, panting. She laughed.

"Well, you need to get more physically fit if you want to keep up with moi!"

Orihime grumbled and the 4 of us walked inside. I gasped.

"I told you a lot of people come here." Rangiku said. "C'mon, lets' go and order something. It's on my girls."

As we walked, I took observations. Like how I previously explained the sophomore building, I will now explain the café.

Of course, the building is like a square, except this time, it's not that large. Maybe a medium sized square will do. Anyways, now think of a compass. The south side of the square is where the double glass doors are and probably south east was the stairs to the second floor. On the complete east side was the counter. On the sides of the north and west side of the square was the bar type seating. Lastly, the middle part of the square were the wooden tables and chairs, all dressed up in pretty blue cloths.

"Rukia!" I snapped out of my observation and quickly made my way to Rangiku's side. "What do you want to order, girl?"

"Oh…um…."

"Is this a new one, Rangiku?" I looked up and noticed the person behind the counter was a young man with a green and white hat, covering the top half of his face.

"Yup. Rukia, this is the owner of the café, Mr. Urahara Kisuke."

He smiled and gave small bow. "A pleasure to meet you, Ms…"

"Kuchiki Rukia." I responded. His smile widened.

"A Kuchiki…well, that's good to hear. What would you like?"

"Um…can I have a small cappuccino and if possible, can I have rice dumplings?"

"Of course! Take a seat and my waitress will gladly serve the food to you~!"

I smiled and we took a seat at one of the tables.

"He is really kind." I said. Momo nodded.

"Mr. Urahara is a nice guy and you'll learn to really get attached to this place. Everyone from various places in Japan comes here…But only the special ones get to go upstairs."

I looked at her with confusion. "Special? What do you mean special?"

The three girls looked at each other.

"Uh, well…" Orihime started. "You have to be part of this organization and…"

"You'll learn about it later." Rangiku interrupted. "Besides, it's your first day here and we don't want you to give you too much information, now do we?"

There was an awkward silence but I decided to shrug. "Ok."

A few minutes later, a young woman with long purple hair walked up to our table.

"Here you go, ladies." Then she noticed me and smiled. "Are you Rukia Kuchiki?"

I nodded and her grin widened. "I'm Shihoin Yoruichi, the assistant head of this café. It's a pleasure to meet you."

After she set the food on the table, she straightened and said, "Make sure you tell your brother I said hi."

"You know Byakuya-nee-sama?"

Yoruichi laughed. "Of course I do! Him and his sweet wife! Anyways, you three go and eat. Have fun." Then she left.

"Looks like you're pretty famous." Ranigku said, smirking at me. I raised an eyebrow.

"How? It's just a coincidence that she knew my brother and sister…"

Afterwards, we ate and talked about random things. Suddenly, a felt someone tap my shoulder. I turned around and gasped, making that the 6th time I gasped within a 12 hour period. I got up and hugged the person.

"Renji…it's good to see you again…" I whispered. He hugged back.

"I missed you too, Rukia…You're even wearing my parting gift…"

* * *

Well, that's the end of chapter 2. I'm sorry it's shorter than the first chapter. I just felt like this was a good stopping point, ya know? Just keep in mind that Rukia and Renji are friends right now. Also, this is a IchigoxRukiaxRenji story BUT I promise you that it will end up being Ichiruki. So if you are a RenRuki fan, then this is the WRONG story for you to read. Sorry. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed chapter 2!


	4. Recommendations?

Author's note: Hi guys! This is chapter 3! Woohoo! I hope it'll be longer then the last chapter! LOL. But I want to thank those who are reading the story! My plan is to make Book 1 around 20 chapters or so. Of course, if this story is getting a lot of good ratings, then I'll totally start doing Book 2: Junior. Depending on how well this all goes, I'll make Book 3: Senior and finish it. But you know Book 2 and 3 are probably an all go. ^^ Anyways, I'll shut up now and continue on with the story! ENJOY!

.: Under The Stars :.

Book 1 : Sophomore

Recommendations?

"So, Rukia, this is your long time friend Abarai Renji, eh?" Rangiku asked with a sly smile on her face.

"We're nothing special, Rangiku." Renji countered, taking a seat between me and Momo. "Just really old friends."

"Mm, whatever you say." Rangiku said with a dramatic sigh. I turned my attention to Renji.

"What are you doing here, Renji?" I asked.

"Well, I live here."

My eyes widened and then turned to a glare. "I thought you said you left to South Korea!"

"That was the original plan but it was changed. Hey, you should be grateful that I stayed in Japan!"

I turned away. "Whatever."

"Renji, are you trying out for the soccer team this year?" Momo asked. Renji nodded.

"H*ll yeah. I got a score to settle with Kurosaki."

My eyes widened as I turned around. "Kurosaki…you mean Ichigo Kurosaki?"

Renji nodded. "Yeah. We're pretty good friends but athletic rivals."

I sighed. "Ok…..Wait a minute…Weren't you supposed to be at school today then?"

Orihime nodded. "Yeah. Abarai-kun, I remember you texting me that we had 3 classes together. I didn't see you at all in those 3 classes."

"Plus, I didn't see you at lunch." Rangiku added then let out a dramatic gasp. "Don't tell me you skipped the first day of school!"

"Look, I just overslept!" Renji remarked, getting slightly agitated. I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever…"

"Oh, and Renji…" Rangiku started and then handed him a folded sheet of paper. "It's from, erm, the soccer coach. That's the recommendation letter…"

Then I noticed Renji smirked. "Sweet. Oh, and by the way, the reason why there's a lot of transfers is because of Seireitei."

"What happened?" Momo asked.

"I'm not sure of the details, but apparently Seireitei and Karakura made some sort of deal and now all of Seireitei transferred their students to Karakura. Once again, not sure of the details."

"Does anyone know what time it is?" Orihime asked. I looked at my watch.

"It's….5:30."

"OH NO! I promised Tatsuki that I would watch her karate practice at 5:15! It's great talking to you guys! See you at school!" She grabbed her bag and ran out of the café.

"I better get home myself." Momo said. "My favorite anime is starting at 6:30 and I don't want to be late for it."

"Well, I think all of us should go ahead and leave, shall we?" Rangiku said as she stood up. Renji and I nodded, stood up, and left the café.

"I'm going to leave you two friends alone." Rangiku said. "See you at school, Rukia."

I nodded and waved goodbye. After she was out of sight, Renji and I then walked the other direction.

"So, how are you, Rukia? It's been…" Renji started, but I interrupted.

"An entire summer.

"Yet I felt so empty inside when you left."

I rolled my eyes. "You just want me to give you sympathy. Well, I'm not giving one."

Renji shrugged. "I never asked for one."

We took a turn and arrived to Karakura's apartments.

"Is this where you're staying?" I asked.

"Yeah…"

I looked at him. "Something's wrong, I know it…."

"No, nothing's wrong."

"Is it your parents again?"

The quiet silence that came as my response was my "yes" to that question.

"A few weeks after you left, they filed a divorce. So, I'm living with my mom and my dad, of course, is living back at Tokyo."

"Oh…"

But Renji gave me a small smile. "But it's good to know I have my old friend with me either way. That's all that matters."

I smiled. "If you want to say that…." Then, I slightly punched his arm. "See you at school."

Renji gave me a light noggie in response. "Yeah."

I waved goodbye, and walked back to my house.

XxXxXxX

"Shiro-chan!" Momo squealed as she opened the door for me. "I'm so glad you came to visit!"

"Hinamori, I go to your school."

"…..Really?"

"Yes. It's just that you've been too pre-occupied with your Ambassador duties and your new friend, Kuchiki Rukia. Also, stop calling me 'Shiro-chan.'"

"Well, either way, come inside."

I walked in, put my school bag to the side, and went into her living room. Once inside, she handed me a plate of watermelons. I took a seat on the sofa next to her and started eating.

"I guess I didn't recognize you were at my school since you're so short!"

I twitched, swallowed the piece of watermelon, and sighed. "I already explained my reason why you didn't see me." Then, I looked around. "Where's your parents? Aren't they home?"

There was an awkward silence. "Actually…my parents are working overtime."

I gave her a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry. My parents are back in Tokyo…"

Hinamori gasped. "Then who are you staying with?"

"I'm currently staying with Granny. Do you still remember her?"

Hinamori nodded. "She was so nice to me! I love her cooking."

"But because her house is far from the school, she wanted me to stay with you. I told her that was ridiculous since I knew you were probably busy with other things and-"

"A SLEEPOVER!" She said as she started jumping on her seat. I sighed.

"Not really. I have to return to Granny later…I'll probably have a 'sleepover' with you tomorrow."

She frowned. "Aw, but can't you just call her and-"

"You need to prepare time to give me a room, right?"

"Oh, well, there's that…"

"And you should ask your parents."

"You know they'll say yes! My parents love you, Toushiro!"

I sighed. "Whatever. But anyways-"

"Is it true that you came here because Seireitei Academy had to close down?"

"Where the h*ll did you learn that?"

"Well, Renji told me. He went to Seireitei Academy for a time then came to Karakura for freshman year."

I rubbed my temples. "He speaks too much. But yes, that's true. For unknown reasons, the principal wanted to move all of his students to Karakura. That's why there are a lot of transfers this year."

"By the way, are you trying out for any teams, like, athletic teams?"

"Why should I?"

"Well, you were in Seireitei's soccer team, right? I heard you were their number one player! It would be cool if you joined Karakura's sophomore soccer team!"

"Maybe. What about you?"

"Well of course I'm joining the soccer team! I might even try out for the kendo team!" The she gasped. "Maybe you should join the kendo team too!"

"That's because you're in that."

"No, it's because I know you'll totally do great in it! C'mon, Toushiro! Please!"

I sighed. "I'll think about it."

"YAY!"

"I said I'll think about it…."

Hinamori just shrugged and turned on the TV. "I have one more question because I think I'm annoying you…"

"No, you're not…But go ahead and ask." I said as I took a bite from the watermelon.

"Are you joining Karakura Ambassadors?"

"It's good for college so I might."

"But weren't you like, one of the leaders of your Academy's Ambassador Club or something?"

"Yeah."

"So you are going to join?"

I sighed. "I guess. But I have to wait until they give me the recommendations to join."

Hinamori smiled and turned to stare at the television. "Believe me, there really isn't much to have to join…But I'll give you the letter tomorrow…."

I looked at her and noticed her eyes were hiding something…a secret…a dark secret…and it was in that group. I couldn't tell if it was bad or good, though. Whatever the case may be, I need to be sure that she's safe…and whatever is in that Karakura Ambassador, it has to be something dangerous…While Hinamori may be able to protect herself, her training as a soccer player can come in handy, I don't want to take my chances. I promised to protect my friend from anything…ever since that day…

XxXxXxXx

I arrived home at around 6 pm, just in time for dinner. I looked through my bag.

"Crap…" I thought. "Did I leave the house key inside?"

I smelled Hisana's cooking from inside and I could feel my taste-buds tingle. When I couldn't find it, I decided to just knock the door. There was a pause until I heard small humming.

"Who is it?" I heard her ask.

"It's me, Hisana-nee-chan."

"Rukia?" She opened the door and smiled. "I'm glad you made it to dinner."

"Is Nee-sama home?"

"He will be at home around 7. Come inside; it's getting pretty cold outside."

I walked inside, put my bag on the sofa, and went inside the kitchen. The table was filled with various types of sushi, bunny shaped cucumbers, and chicken tatsuta/Japanese fried chicken. I picked up one of the cucumbers.

"I-It's….Chappy!" I said as I started at the cucumber with fascination. Hisana giggled.

"I knew you would like it. You can go ahead and eat, Rukia."

"No, it's ok. I'd rather wait for Byakuya-nee-sama."

Hisana nodded. "Then why don't you watch TV or go on the computer."

"Well, are you sure you don't need any help with anything?"

"Oh, and I'm done with everything."

So, I went upstairs, entered my room, and took out my laptop. I had bought an apple laptop before I left Tokyo since my old laptop got broken a day after school was over. As I searched through my facebook, I noticed that I had 3 friend invites…Already? I clicked on it and noticed it was Rangiku, Momo, and Orihime. I smiled and accepted the 3 invites. In a few minutes, a chat suddenly appeared. I looked to see who it was and it was Rangiku. The chat started like this…:

_Rangiku: Hey Rukia!_

_Me: Um, hello Rangiku._

_Rangiku: Did you and that Renji guy have fun?_

_Me: Er, we just talked about our summers._

_Rangiku: Uh huh…I see…_

_Me: It's not anything bad or whatever. _

_Rangiku: Y'know, I thought because you went to Tsukihime, you had no boy knowledge._

_Me: Ugh, do you have to put it that way? Well, I don't have….a lot of boy knowledge. Renji is my only friend that's, well, a guy. Plus, he went to Seireitei so I didn't see him all the time._

_Rangiku: Mmhm…ok, ok._

_Me: If you think we're in any relationship or whatever, you're absolutely wrong._

_Rangiku: Now why would I say that? _

_Me: …._

_Rangiku: Ok, ok, I'll shut up. Hey, did you eat dinner yet?_

_Me: No. I'm waiting for my brother to come home._

_Rangiku: Alright. Oh, and do you want me to email you the recommendations to join Karakura Ambassadors?_

_Me: But I thought there wasn't a lot.._

_Rangiku: There isn't. But it's…well, it's sorta complicated. What's your email?_

_Me: .jp_

_Rangiku: You like Chappy?_

_Me: ….Yes…._

_Rangiku: That's ok! Chappy is pretty cute._

I struggled not to type "CHAPPY IS THE CUTEST THING ALIVE."

_Me: Well, what's your email?_

_Rangiku: .jp_

_Me: That's seriously your email?_

_Rangiku: Yes_

I sighed and after a few moments, I went to check my email. I had a new message on my inbox so I checked it. It was obviously from Rangiku. As I read the email, my eyes widened with surprise. The email said…:

_To Kuchiki Rukia_

_You have been considered by the Karakura Ambassadors. We have looked into your previous files and your amazing knowledge and strength proves perfect to enter the club. More importantly, Karakura Ambassadors is not just simply a group of strong leaders to the school but we are more than that._

_To learn the secret of our group, you must do one task. Success in this task will not only give you a pass to the group, but you will know…the truth._

_Your task…._

_Go into Headmaster Yamamoto's office and find the file that says "Karakura Ambassadors." Once claimed, make your way to the café and enter the upstairs area. _

_You must do this stealthily. This is a one-time task. If caught by Assistant Hirako or Headmaster Yamamoto, you will be unable to do the task again and you are unable to attend the Karakura Ambassadors._

_If you wish to do this task, reply to this email:_

_.jp_

As I stared at the email with disbelief, I began to wonder if I should really attend this group. As I stared at the email, I heard someone knock on my door.

"Rukia, time to eat." Hisana said.

"Ok." I replied, putting down my laptop lid, and walked downstairs, still wondering about that email and my decision…

XxXxXxX

"Nee-san, are you ok?" Yuzu asked as I helped her put the dishes into the sink. I blinked out of my day-dream and looked at her.

"Uh, yeah. Just thinking about stuff."

"Is it because it's the first day of school? She asked. I sighed.

"Maybe."

"Ichigo, where is the remote?" I heard Dad ask in the living room.

"Did you check under the sofa?" I asked as I made my way to the living room.

"Oh, well never mind." He grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. I put my hands in my pockets and walked upstairs. My Dad can be an air-head….actually, he is an air-head. I went inside the library/computer room and logged onto my user. This was a normal "first day of school" night; eat dinner, look at email, chat with friends online, then go to sleep. That was going to be my average night.

As I opened my email, I noticed I got an email from….

"Not them again…" I thought with annoyance.

XxXxXxX

"Are you ok, Rukia?" Hisana asked. I looked up from my plate and smiled.

"I'm fine, Nee-chan."

Byakuya turned to look at me. "If you are not feeling well, why don't you go to sleep early?"

I nodded; I had my conclusion to the email anyways and the faster I sent the email, the less awkward moments of butterflies in my stomach. I washed my plate and went up to my room. Quickly, I opened my laptop and replied to the email.

_My response: I accept this task. –Rukia Kuchiki_

* * *

Slightly short chapter….again. But I hope you guys enjoy the story and sorry for grammar mistakes! :O


	5. The task

Author's Note: Yay! Chapter 4 of Under The Stars! Thanks to all the reviewers and those who are alerting/favorite-ing the story. xD Summer is finally here, too! So, updates will be coming in faster for this story! :D Another yay! Well, I'm going to shut up now.

Enjoy!

.: Under The Stars :.

Book 1 – Sophomore

The task

I had set my alarm clock an hour earlier than usual. When I went downstairs, Byukuya was also downstairs.

"Rukia, why are you awake so early?" He asked, getting his suitcase together. I smiled.

"I'm going to the library there. It has some great books that I would like to read."

Byakuya nodded. "Would you like to take you there?"

I took a moment to think about that question then nodded. So, we got into his car after a few minutes and he drove me to Karakura Academy. I got out and waved goodbye as he left. It was around 6:45 and I was surprised to see the gate open.

I went inside and found the main building. I peering into the office, but there was no one behind the desk so I continued down the hallway until I found Headmaster Yamamoto's office. I got myself together, put my ear to the door, and listened to hear if anyone was inside. After waiting a few moments and not hearing anything, I slowly unlocked the door with a bobby pin. Once inside, I closed the door and looked around. Headmaster Yamamoto's office was very…well, it's was very neat. I walked up to the desk. When I couldn't find anything, I looked through the files.

"They said Karakrua Ambassador file…" I thought as I moved my fingers through the files. Soon, I found the 'K' files. "This shouldn't be too hard…"

In less than 30 seconds, I found the Karakura Ambassadors file. I quickly grabbed it from the cabinet and just when I thought I was home free….I heard the sound of the doorknob. I cursed under my breath and looked around. I had to hide somewhere. I then noticed that one of the vents was open, but it was too high. Screw my short height….Suddenly, I noticed the door about to open…

XxXxXx

"Man, why do I have to get stuff." I murmured. "Headmaster Yama needs to cut me some slack every now and again. It's not easy being an assistant principal..." Then I noticed one of the vent doors was open. I shook my head. Headmaster's age must be getting to him. I grabbed the door and closed the vent. That should do.

XxxxXx

When I couldn't see Assistant Hirako, I let out a sigh. I had somehow managed to get into the high up vent without getting caught. Thankfully he didn't see me as he closed the vent. Now, onwards to….uh….oh yeah, the Urahara Café.

I found my way through the difficult maze and arrived to the vent that led outside. I kicked open the door and crawled out. Note to self: Never crawl in a vent unless necessary. Then I realized that the Urahara Café was a 15 minute jog and it was already 7:15. Would I have enough time? Just as I thought this, I noticed pairs of roller blades beside the gate. Were those there when I arrived? Since I didn't have much time, I shook the question away, put on the skates, and dashed down the busy sidewalk. Thankfully, I knew how to use roller blades and I was able to swiftly dodge the pedestrians who, in turn, gave me scowls and glares. Someone even tried to push me off or something but I was able to quickly evade that too. In 6 minutes time I arrived at the Urahara Café. I skidded to a stop, took off the blades, and walked inside. The smell of breakfast cuisine filled my nose and that's when I realized that I had forgotten to eat breakfast. But since I had to deliver these files, I ignored my rumbling stomach and was about to open the door to the staircase until a big guy with tan skin and interesting glasses stood in front of the door.

"What's your business, Ms. Kuchiki?" He asked. I blinked, surprised he knew my surname in an instant but I had guessed Ms. Yoruichi or Mr. Urahara had told him. I shook my head.

"I have private matters…" Then I looked down and showed him the files. "I need to deliver this upstairs."

"How can I trust you?"

"Wha? Look, I really need to do this."

"Where is your letter of recommendation?"

"But I didn't—" That's when it hit me; I need that email! I cursed again under my breath. I had to get in there somehow. I didn't risk my wonderful record for nothing. Without thinking and without realization until after this, I jumped up and kicked him in the face, forcing him to stagger to the side. Thankfully, there was no one to see this (which is strange, don't you think?) and I made my way through the flight of stairs. Soon, I arrived at a black door with a white sash hanging from the doorknob. At the same time, I noticed….

"You?" I asked, pointing at the orange haired boy with surprise. He was leaning on the wall right beside the door and when he saw me, he simply shrugged.

"Took you long enough…"

"What are you doing here?" I asked. Ichigo got off from the wall.

"I'm your escort, stupid." He said as he knocked on the door 5 times, each with a special beat, as if it was a password. I didn't say anything as he did this. Suddenly the door opened and Ichigo turned to look at me.

"Are you coming inside or not?"

I sighed and followed him inside. The room had the same structure as downstairs so this is what it would look like: In the middle of the square was a long table with various files of people's names and their stats. On the south side of the square was the door, obviously. On the east side were sofas and small tables. On the north side was a white board that had various things on it. On the west side was the computers and 4 large cabinets. The only windows were on the east side.

As I followed Ichigo, I noticed that there were already people on the sofas just talking. They wore the same Karakura Academy uniform…shouldn't they be getting ready for school?

"Rukia!" I moved to the side and saw Rangiku waving towards me. I walked to her and handed her the files. "Um, Rangiku…what's going on?"

She smiled. "You're about to go through your coronation to become part of Karakura Ambassadors!"

"But, wait, I thought it was all about leadership and academics…"

"That's what it looks like from the outer world." Ichigo said. "We're not a normal group, Rukia."

"Instead, we are a special group…." I turned around and saw Momo walking towards me.

"Karakura Ambassadors protect the school." I turned again and saw Renji come from nowhere.

"But what's there to protect?" I asked.

"That, you will learn later." Rangiku said. "But first, we need to begin the coronation."

"What about school?"

"Geez, you're asking way too many questions." Renji said, scratching the back of his head. "For coronation, THEN questions."

I made a face but nodded in agreement. Rangiku clasped her hands together.

"Alrighty guys, lets' begin…Code 202."

Suddenly, Momo drew out a wooden dagger from her shirt sleeve and lunged towards me. At this moment, my reflexes went into action. I grabbed her wrist that had the dagger and twisted it. She quickly dropped the dagger but somehow was able to get her left foot to trip my right foot, causing me to fall. Immediately, I hopped back up and got into fighting stance.

"What the h*ll?" I cursed. "What's going on?"

"Your coronation." Momo said and stepped back. Suddenly, I saw Renji dash towards me, this time with nunchuks in both hands. I grimaced, I sucked at dodging nunchuks. As I desperately tried to dodge, I saw Renji smirk.

"What's wrong, Rukia? I thought you were good at this kind of thing."

"How about you shut up." I responded as I jumped on the table, giving me a good height advantage, and threw a quick side kick to his face.

"S-Sorry." I said as he staggered back. He walked back and my next opponent was Ichigo. His weapon was a wooden sword…my specialty. He, too, jumped on the table and began swinging his blade. I flipped back until I saw a broom nearby. I jumped off the table, grabbed the broom, and quickly blocked his attack.

"You have good reflexes." He said. I smirked in response and using the broom, pushed him back and lunged. He immediately blocked it and we continued to clash until Rangiku blew a whistle, making both of us wince.

"Good job, Rukia." Rangiku said as she walked towards me. I was already panting.

"Dang, is that really a coronation? That seemed like a death battle."

"At least we didn't use the real weapon." Renji said, twirling his nunchuk. "The weapons we used against you were all wooden."

"I noticed but I honestly don't think it would have made a difference…"

"Well, why don't you take a rest on the sofa. I'll get everything ready…" Rangiku said as she walked towards the table. "But did you guys have to jump onto the table?"

"Sorry…" I murmured. Momo handed me a bottle of water.

"I was right." Momo said as she took a seat next to me. "You showed your flexibility, your power, and your speed."

I smiled. "Thanks, I guess. Hey, what about school?"

"You'll be alright. Here," She handed me a Karakura Ambassador pass. "This will let you off the hook. You wouldn't believe how many times I had to use that last year."

I laughed and after a few minutes, Rangiku came towards me.

"Fabulous work. Not only did you get the files with miraculous speed, but you were able to show your well-rounded specialty of hand-to-hand combat."

"Why do I need it?"

"Believe me, you'll need it in a few months…maybe a few weeks." Renji said, who was now holding an ice pack to his face.

"Oh, s-sorry about that…" I said but Renji shrugged.

"That's alright."

"Hey, where's Master Yama?" Ichigo asked. "He said he was going to be here."

"Depends on what the time is right now…" Rangiku responded as she turned to the clock above the door.

"That's why he's not here. It's already time for school."

Then I realized something and looked at Rangiku. "If everyone here has a weapon….Rangiku, what's your weapon?"

She smirked, walked towards her chair, and from it she took out a staff. Then she began to twirl it.

"This is my weapon of choice." She said. "Don't ask why I didn't get to be your opponent."

"Weren't you supposed to get Rukia's papers and crap ready?" Ichigo asked. There was an awkward silence until it finally hit her head.

"Oh yeah. Sorry, I must have zoned out for a moment." She returned to the table, grabbed a file, and walked towards me. "Alrighty, Rukia-chan, I will ask you only 3 questions.."

"As long as they aren't painful in any way possible, go ahead and fire away."

"Ok. First question…If you learned the truth about our school, would you tell anyone?"

"If it's such a huge secret and no one knows about it…then of course not."

"Alright…Second question….Would you risk everything to protect the truth of our school from the enemy?"

I rubbed my temples. "There's no way I can answer that question when I don't even KNOW the truth OR the enemy."

"You really want to know the truth?" Ichigo asked. I turned to look at him.

"Yes."

"Ichigo, don't tell her yet…she's not part of the Karakura Ambassadors…" Rangiku started.

"As part of the Karakura Ambassadors, we protect something called the-"

Renji suddenly covered Ichigo's mouth. "Answer the second question, Rukia."

I sighed. "Can't you give me a hint?"

"Sure." Rangiku said. "The 'truth' is so powerful that it risks the entire town's salvation."

I raised an eyebrow but she just shrugged as a response. "You said you wanted a hint."

Since I had a feeling that was the ONLY hint I'll get until after this stupid question and answer thing, I sighed and nodded. "Sure…I'll risk whatever."

"Ok, so last question….After all of this is over, will you continue life as normal until called to action?"

"Geez, you sound like I'm being drafted to the military." I murmured. "But honestly, yes."

Rangiku closed the file and handed it to Momo. In turn, she handed Rangiku a badge.

"Great work, Rukia! You are an official Karakura Ambassador!" She said and quickly hugged me, almost forcing me to drop the water on her.

"Th-Thanks…" When she let go, she frowned.

"What's with the face? You should be happy!"

"No, I want to know the freaking truth thing. I'm very annoyed that you won't tell me."

Renji let go of Ichigo's mouth, which of course forced him to get some hand sanitizer from Momo's bag.

"Alright, now can we tell her?" Renji asked. Rangiku sighed.

"Sure. But don't go into detail until later. We can't skip the ENTIRE day of school, ya know."

"Finally." Ichigo said. "Ok, so, pretty much, the 'truth' is that Karakura holds a special item that could cause the entire disruption of time and space."

"Is there really anything THAT powerful?" I asked.

"Yes." Renji started. "It was a long time ago, during Headmaster Yama's prime years, when stupid scientists created a thing called the hogyoku. This one small glass orb had enough power to destroy anything in its way….From what I know, it's more powerful then the atomic bomb that dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. Because of its power, scientists tried to eliminate it….Unfortunately, it only led to more casualties and injures. So, they decided to hide it and there was only one place they could hide it during the time…Seireitei Academy. This Academy, before, was a school that taught martial arts instead of math and science. The scientists knew it was a good idea to hide it there but instead, they were objected. That's when one scientist decided to hide it in a different Academy. That academy was Karakura Academy."

"Well, if it's a secret, then who are the enemies?" I asked.

"Hueco Mundo High." Momo answered. "They became a new school 5 years ago but just this year they got a new Headmaster. Rukia, he knows about the hogyoku because he is the grandson of one of the scientists who made the orb."

I rubbed my temples. "This is….so much to take in…."

"I had a feeling you would say that." Rangiku said. "Why don't we stop for today and if you have any more questions, just come by here after school. Oh, make sure you show the badge to Mr. Tessai before coming in here."

"Ok." Then I looked at my watch. "Crap, we'll never make it to school on time…."

"Not unless we use our transportation." Momo said.

XxXxXxX

"Wait, so, these are MINE?" I asked when I pointed to the skates outside the door. Rangiku nodded.

"Yup. Renji told us how you enjoy to skate and your good at it so we decided to give these to you."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, I never asked for skates or-"

"Just be glad you got something." Ichigo intervened. "Plus, it's going through our club income so it's no problem."

"So what about you guys?" I asked. Suddenly, I saw Renji coming from the alley holding two skateboards.

"Hey, Ichigo, think fast." He said as he threw an orange with red streaks design skateboard at Ichigo.

"Thanks." He said.

"You see the guys who join the club get skateboards. The girls get roller blades. If you can do either, you get a bike." Rangiku said and then added a wink. "All from the club income."

I blinked with surprise but shrugged. "Ok then."

Rangiku, Momo, and I were putting on our skates as the guys waited.

"Can you girls be any slower?" Renji asked, obviously being impatient.

"Yes, we can be." Rangiku said. "Do you want us to?"

"C'mon Rangiku, we need to get to school before our teachers start yelling at us."

"Fine." She responded as she stood up.

"Your skates are pretty." I said as I stood up as well.

"Thanks. Each of us have our own color. Mine is mango yellow. Momo's is peach color. Yours is violet and white." Rangiku said while pointing to each of our skates.

"Alright, yay, that's all nice to know." Renji said. "If you need us, we'll be 40 feet away from you slow idiots."

The two then took off. Rangiku sighed.

"Lets go."

"Hey, is Orihime in Karakura Ambassadors?" I asked as we skated.

"No." Momo answered. "We gave her a recommendation letter, but she never replied. I guess she couldn't do it."

"What about Ichigo? If he was a Karakura Ambassador, why wasn't he helping people go to their classes?"

Rangiku shrugged. "Ichigo is sorta like a secret agent. He doesn't like being known he's part of the Ambassadors. Not even his family knows."

I scoffed. "Ichigo seems like stone."

Momo smiled. "He can be. But when you learn more about him, you'll learn he's like everybody else…."

I nodded and we continued to skate in silence.

* * *

And that's it. Well, it wasn't the best chapter ever but I hope you guys enjoyed it! Now Rukia knows the 'truth.' How will she handle the pressure? Can she live the calm, stress-free life that her sister has been telling her about? Find out next time on Under the Stars Book 1! xDD


	6. The Attack

Author's note: Yay! It's chapter 5 of Under the Stars! :D :D Well, I plan to make this chapter, really suspenseful and full of action-pack fighting! Er, well, maybe not FULL of action-pack fighting but close to it! xD Anyways, I'm going to shut up and begin the story! :)

.: Under The Stars :.

Book 1 – Sophomore

The Attack

We made it to school when the end of 2nd period bell rang. I sighed.

"There's only three more periods left…" I murmured as I took off my skates. Rangiku laughed.

"Don't be so down by it. Just remember to show your pass to the teacher and they'll totally understand."

"Of course, they don't know about our true nature…they just think we're doing important things for the school and since we have meetings almost every week, then they're ok with it. As long as we're able to finish our homework on time, then we're good." Momo said and added a smile. "Then again, you wouldn't have much trouble with keeping up."

"Yeah. Karakura Academy doesn't give much homework on the weekends." Rangiku said and winked. "Compared to Tsukihime, this place is going to be like sailing the vast ocean on a calm day."

I laughed. "That's good."

Once we entered the building, I went to my locker and put my skates inside. You think I'm going to lug around those?

XxXxXxX

I was sitting in my third period class, staring at the window, when I saw three girls appear into class.

"Wow, we actually made it early." The ginger haired girl, Matsumoto Rangiku I assumed, said with a cheerful laugh. The girl beside her, Kuchiki Rukia if I remembered correctly, nodded.

"Well, as long as I don't get behind."

Then I saw Hinamori appear beside Rukia. "Don't worry! Like we talked about before, you can catch up really quickly!" Then she noticed me and smiled. "Toushiro!"

I sighed as she ran up to me with her friends coming behind her.

"You two know each other?" Rukia asked. Momo nodded.

"Yup. Toushiro and I have known each other since we were children." Then, as if a light bulb lit up above her head, she quickly took out a letter from her bag. "Before I forget, this is for you. Don't open it until you get home, ok?"

I arched an eyebrow towards her but she only responded with a smile. She always smiles to hide her feelings….

Since I had a feeling I couldn't argue with it, I shrugged and put the letter in one of my chapter books. Then, Rukia gasped.

"You're reading Les Miserables by Victor Hugo!"

I turned to face her. "Have you read it before?"

"Er….yeah….I have."

Noticing her sudden withdrawal of excitement, I shrugged to respond.

"I just started yesterday."

Then, I heard one of our classmates telling all of us that the teacher was coming. The three girls, along with the students who were standing up, quickly went to their seats. As they did, I stared at the letter being used as a bookmark. Why did she want me to wait until I got home to read it? Well, I had the rest of the day to figure it out before I got home….

XxXxXx

School was over faster than I had imagined once I heard the final bell ring.

"Rukia, you were almost daydreaming over there." Momo said while I packed my things. I sighed.

"Almost is the key word to your statement. I was just…thinking about some things."

She frowned. "Is it about being in Karakura Ambassadors?"

I nodded. "I guess…It's just a lot of pressure for a sophomore."

"I understand, Rukia-san. You'll get used to it, I promise."

We walked out of class and before leaving the building, I made a quick trip to my locker.

"Oh, do you want to come with me to the Urahara Café? I have a feeling you have some more questions."

After taking out my skates, I turned to her.

"Honestly, I don't have any questions….Erm….Thanks for the invite, Momo, but I'm going to go home. It's just been…quite hectic today and I need to get some rest."

Momo nodded in understanding. "Ok. I'll see you around."

Then, she left the building. Once I closed the locker, I heard talking from one of the classrooms. It was impolite to eavesdrop, but when you're a curious and at the age of 16, you can't leave it as it is. I quietly leaned on the wall beside the door, careful to not make a sound or let any part of me be seen.

"D*nm, those Hueco Mundo kids never seem to rest, do they?" It was one of the teachers. I couldn't tell who it was since I didn't have him, but it was obvious it was a teacher. Then, I heard a sigh.

"Just this morning, one of our own students got into a fight with the Mundo's."

"And it's only the second day of school…"

"Poor kid….but that's why we have those Ambassador guys."

"Y'know, I always imagined them to be nerds but to think that they actually protect the school from those Mundo students is amazing."

"Yeah. If one of the Ambassadors hadn't come in, sh*t, our student wouldn't even be here on earth."

I held my gasp. Hueco Mundo…..is a lot scarier then I had imagined….I quickly walked out of the building, trying to get rid of the horrible thought and conversation.

Once I was a few blocks away from the campus, I slowed my pace and stopped speed-walking. After catching my breath, I put on my skates and started to skate towards my house. I had a lot of homework to do anyways…

Suddenly, my eyes widened as I accidently bumped into someone.

"I-I'm sorry…" I said as I rubbed my head. When I looked up to see who it was, I noticed it was a person with light blue hair. He wore his white cap to the side and had an interesting uniform. His shirt was white with black sleeves and his pants were grey. He, almost similar to Ichigo's frown, had a fixed frown and evil glare.

"What the h*ll?" He asked with a sneer. "Look where you're going-"

Then, he stopped as he noticed my insignia. His sneer then turned to a smirk. "Heh, you're part of Karakura Academy."

"What about it?" I asked as I stood up. His smirk grew wider and suddenly, I noticed he was about to throw a quick side kick. Because of the height difference, I was able to dodge the kick with slight ease. With the skates on, it also added the easiness of dodging his attacks. What did this guy have against me?

In a flash, I felt a fist hit my cheek and I was pushed back to one of the stalls.

"Hey, get out of the way!" The man behind the stall yelled. I twitched as I stood up, touching my cheek. It was bleeding…

"Is that all you got, Karakura b*tch?" The teenage guy asked. I slowly stood and took the offensive.

We continued to do hand-to-hand combat, damage being dealt to both of us. Unfortunately, he overpowered me as he grabbed my wrist and threw me all the way to the other side of the sidewalk. I heard a crack and soon, I felt a surge of pain flow through my body. As I slowed tried to sit up, the guy started walking towards me.

"Ok kid, time to finish this." I heard him say as he took out a kunai from under his sleeves. I closed my eyes. Was I really going to die already? After a moment of nothing happening, I slowly opened my eyes. What I saw was amazing.

"You need to stop picking fights on people, Grimmjow." Ichigo said. He held a real sword that was pointed to his neck from behind. The guy, Grimmjow I assumed, grunted.

"Always saving your little classmates from danger, eh, Kurosaki?"

"Unless you want to get hurt, then get out."

There was a tense silence until Grimmjow returned the kunai to his sleeve and walked off as if nothing ever happened. Ichigo returned the blade to its sheath and walked to my side.

"Are you alright?" He asked. I shook my head honestly.

"I think I broke something…." I winced in pain as I tried to stand but Ichigo stopped me.

"Just relax. I'll text Rangiku and tell her what happened. In the meantime, I'll take you to the school nurse." He said as he already started texting the ginger haired girl.

I gave him a look. "School nurse? Shouldn't you be taking me to the hospital?"

He seemed to have ignored it, picked me up bridal style, and dashed down the street using his skateboard. I was surprised he was able to balance himself while holding me.

Soon, we arrived back at campus and as I slowly looked at my watch, I looked at Ichigo with shock.

"It's school-lockdown from the outside. There's no way we'll be able to enter!" I said and winced again from the pain.

"You really need to stop talking a lot. Maybe you were better when you were formal and didn't talk much."

I glared at him and stayed silent. He put the skateboard to the side of the main building then held me with one arm as he looked through his pockets. After taking a few moments of searching, he finally took out a key and unlocked the door. Now how does he have a key?

"Karakura Ambassadors." Ichigo said as if he was reading my mind and walked inside. The halls were quiet…

Suddenly, I felt my vision get blurry.

"Huh….?" I murmured and before I could say anymore, I fell unconscious.

XxXxXxX

Great, she just had to fall unconscious when I was only a few feet from the nurse's office. Oh well, she did go through a lot back there…Especially since she got Grimmjow of all people. I'm surprised she was able to go through that and was able to stay conscious during the whole thing until just a few moments ago.

I arrived inside the room. You may think it's a normal school nurse office but in reality…

"We have a bleeding and unconscious one here!" I heard one of the medics called out as he took Rukia. He put her in one of the beds, pressed a button, and a secret underground tunnel appeared. In a flash, he was gone.

Ok, so, Karakura Academy's school nurse after school hours isn't really a normal school nurse area. In fact, below the school, is an entire secret hospital for the unfortunate students who get almost killed by those Hueco Mundo kids…

"Can you tell me what happened, Kurosaki?" I turned around and saw the school nurse (in actuality, she's a professional doctor), Unohana-san.

"Uh, sure…Well, she got attacked by Grimmjow and I luckily was on time before she could get herself in some fatal trouble."

"Do you have any information on the girl?"  
"Yeah…her name is…Kuchiki Rukia. She just became a Karakra Ambassador this morning."

"Oh my. It's not a good experience to be in a fight right after being part of the Ambassadors. Alright, thank you, Kurosaki. She'll be all patched up and ready for school tomorrow."

"Thanks, Unohana-san."

Unlike the majority of the teachers in Karakura, only the Headmaster, the Assistant Principal, the school nurse, and two specific teachers know the true nature of the Karakura Ambassadors. As I walked out of the nurse's office, I got a call from Rangiku. I answered it.

"Hey." I said casually.

"Is she alright?" Rangiku asked, with a slight hint of fright.

"Don't worry; she's in good hands with Unohana-san."

I heard a breath of relief. "Thank goodness. Well, I know you went through the coronation thing with Rukia today so I'll let you skip tomorrow's coronation."

"What?"

"Yup….you know that Hitsugaya Toushiro person we were talking about during one of our meetings?"

"Yeah, that short, white haired brat who's always quiet and snappy at everything."

"HE IS NOT SNAPPY!" I heard Momo's voice in the background.

"Did you put me on speakerphone again?" I asked and Rangiku laughed as a response.

"Well, I'm sooooorry for that. Ahem, anyways, yeah, that kid decided to accept the task and stuff. I have a feeling he'll be able to do it. He was part of Seireitei's leadership committee…"

"Geez, so we got a prodigy joining then?"

She laughed louder. "Maybe, maybe."

"Well, tell me what happened tomorrow at lunch. I'm going home."

"Alrighty then."

I stuffed my phone in my pocket and walked outside. After grabbing my skateboard and getting my balance, I made my way back home.

XxXxXxXx

"Looks like we got an interestin' one our hands, Headmasta Aizen." My assistant said as he finished reading the report.

"Yes…and it seems there is another one joining as well."

"Hm, is it the prodigy boy from Seireitei?"

"Indeed." I stood from my chair and walked towards the window. The sun was setting in the horizon.

"In a matter of 3, no, possibly 2 years at the most….the hogyoku will be mine."

* * *

Author's note: Heck yeah! :) Short chapter, but I have summer homework (stupid accelerated classes!) and I'm quite busy with those. Plus, I'm doing a lot of stuff in the morning and afternoon that the only time I can type my chapters is at night and y'know, by that time, I'm super tired and lazy. DX So, excuse any grammar mistakes or if I somehow misspelled someone's name. I'm tired and semi-distracted cause I'm watching Dragonball Z Kai. xDDD I'm so stupid. A girl watching Dragonball Z…well, I'm reliving some happy memories…even before I knew DBZ was an anime! xDD


	7. Toushiro's Turn

Author's note: Alrighty, well, here is chapter 6. xD Wow, didn't know a lot of you heard about DBZ Kai. xDDD Well, nevertheless, I be quiet and begin the chapter….Thanks again for everyone who is reading the story, favoriting/alerting the story, and reviewing the story! xD You guys are the best! :D :D Rukia gives you all a cookie (shaped like CHAPPY! FEAR THE POWER OF CHAPPY!)

.: Under The Stars :.

Book 1 – Sophomore

Toushiro's turn

"_Get away!" I yelled as I ran through the hallway, dodging all the projectiles coming my way. He was getting closer….In an attempt to stop his movements, I threw a trashcan that I saw through a sideway glance. I heard a loud thud but that didn't stop me from running. But there was no ending…Suddenly, I felt someone lay a hand on my shoulder….._

I woke up when I heard myself scream. Sweat was all over my face. I quickly slowed my breathing and looked around. Well, here's how I could explain my surroundings:

The room was a simple small square. The bed that I was lying on was on the north side along with a desk and rolling chair. On the east side, beside the bed, was a nice window that overlooked the outside of the school (well, at least the front of it). On the west were various medical charts and cabinets filled with various medical items. On the south side, about 15 or 20 feet from the bed, was the door and beside the door was a BP machine….Why the heck was there a BP machine in a School Nurse office?

Then, that's when I fully awakened. I wasn't in the hospital…..I was in a…

"Good morning, Kuchiki-san."

I blinked to my senses and turned to see a beautiful, young nurse with long, braided black hair hanging behind her. She wore a very modest outfit; she had a red blouse with black dress pants and wore a nice doctor coat to cover her outfit. I nodded.

"G-Good morning, ma'am."

"You would be happy to know that your wounds weren't very deep but there are a few bruises on your arms and legs." She said. Then, she smiled. "My, how silly of me. I must properly introduce myself. I am the school nurse of Karakura Academy, Nurse Retsu Unohana …but since you're part of the Ambassadors, I guess you can change the 'nurse' and change it to 'doctor'."

I gasped. "Y-You're a doctor?"

She nodded. "Yes. I take care of the students who are injured by the Mundo students…Unfortunately, you were one of their victims."

I shivered, remembering that almost death situation. Then, another question popped into my brain.

"Um, Doctor Unohana, how do you know about the Ambassadors?"

"Oh, I've known about the group for a very long time. Now, get some rest. You still have to attend school."

I sighed. I guess I couldn't do much…As I started to lay down, I noticed Doctor Unohana remove the "Be Quiet" sign beside my bed and then, I noticed there was a blue button. She pressed it and the floor between the bed and the door opened to show a secret tunnel. My eyes widened with surprise.

"Wh-Wha…..?"

"You thought this was just a normal school?" Doctor Unohana asked.

"C-Can I please follow you?" I asked. She gave a small smile and nodded.

"Please be mindful of the patients. These students need their rest."

Soon, a young woman with silver hair and colorful attachment braids came through the tunnel.

"Could you stay here and keep things the way they are, Nurse Isane?" Doctor Unohana asked. I stopped myself from showing any surprise. I've been having too much of that….

Nurse Isane nodded and walked towards the desk, arranging the papers and cleaning things up. I followed Doctor Unohana down the bright tunnel until we came to a large area with about 10 medics checking the rooms and doing other things that probably Doctor Unohana ordered them to.

"Good morning, Doctor." I heard them say as she passed by. I noticed the rooms were filled with students from either our school or other schools that were probably attacked by the Mundo kids…Geez, what is their problem? Stupid Mundo guys….

"Please remember to not say anything to the other students, Rukia-san." Dr. Unohana said. "Keep in mind that many students think this is just an average school for the gifted, whether socially, academically, or athletically."

I nodded and continued to follow her.

XxXxXxX

I held the files in one hand as I maneuvered myself through the crowd (skateboards plus crowded sidewalk equals not a good combination). Getting the Karakura Ambassador file was simple enough…it didn't take too much energy…

_It was early morning, maybe 6 or 6:30. Granny was curious about why I was leaving early, but I knew better then to tell her the truth. I simply told her that I was going to the Urahara Café to get breakfast and then go to school. She seemed to take it into consideration, but after a few moments, she allowed me to go._

_I arrived at the campus and noticed the gates were open. They really make it easier for me…I entered the compound and stood in front of the main building. When I thought I had to do complex and troublesome, I just opened the door and it was already unlocked. Hm…_

_Once inside, I made my way to Headmaster Yamamoto's office. I heard talking through the door…crap._

"_Headmaster Yama, ya think we should have this big festival sometime before the students gets out for winter break? It would be great! There would be food, games, competitions, all of that!" I heard Assistant Hirako say from inside. To be quite blunt, I find his stupidity the most astounding. _

"_Hirako, we have more important things to think about then silly festivals."_

"_Aw, c'mon sir. It would be pretty awesome." Then I heard a sigh. "So, didja hear that Kuchiki Rukia made it in?"_

"_Yes. I also heard she got into a fight with one of the Hueco Mundo students."_

"_D*nm, those guys are getting more annoying by the day. Shouldn't we do something?"_

"_Time will tell, Hirako. For now, we have to be patient. Whatever Aizen is thinking, we have to stop him."_

"_Heh, I betcha those Karakura Ambassadors will finish those guys up."_

_There was a silence and I used that time to link it together. Hueco Mundo….Aizen….Karakura Ambassadors…..all 3 terms seem to be linked to each other somehow. What is Karakura really all about? Suddenly, I heard footsteps coming towards the door. I quickly found a desk and quickly went under it. I heard the door open and footsteps. _

"_Well, imma take my leave, Headmaster Yama. Got some work to do." I heard Assistant Hirako say and I heard another door open and close. When there was a silence, I peered out from the desk. Once again, I was alone. The only problem was that Headmaster Yamamoto was still in his office. How was I going to get him out…? Soon, an idea loomed into my brain and while it was idiotic and foolish that even I wouldn't do it….It was a good idea. I looked for the closest breakable item and to my luck, a 100,000 yen (1,000 yen is $1. So, 100,000 yen is about $1,000 estimate) vase was on top of a bookshelf. It was sad to break it, especially since the design was pretty cool, but it was for the best….well, for this mission. I silently got out from under the desk, walked towards the bookshelf, and while focusing my energy into my legs, I jumped up and kicked the vase towards the wall. A loud crash followed the impact and I quickly hid behind a counter close to the Headmaster's office. I saw Headmaster Yama open the door and walk towards the vase. As he did so, I silently ran into his office. Once inside, I crept through the file cabinets, found the Karakura Ambassador File, opened the vent door, and went inside, closing the door behind me._

Ok, so maybe it DID take some energy but it was easier then I had imagined. Though, in good honesty, I had to think quick and I never knew that an idea an idiot would think of would actually come in handy in those types of situations. Nevertheless, the question that loomed into my brain during that is still lurking….

Soon, I smelled the freshness of a breakfast cuisine coming from the café. I quickly stopped myself, placed the skateboard outside the building, and walked inside. There were a lot of people inside, holding both students and adult workers. As I started to make my way to the other door that led upstairs, I was blocked by a young woman with long purple hair and tan skin.

"You lost, kiddo?" She asked as she put her hands on her hip. I frowned.

"I need to go inside. I have an important meeting inside."

"Ah, really? Where's your proo-" Before she could finish, I took out my student badge from Seireitei Acadmey and flipped it to show the back, where it holds my status as a leader of the Seireitei Leaders.

"I need to talk to Hinamori Momo. She was the one who recommended me."

The woman looked at me for a moment then smirked. "You're better then Kuchiki, I can tell. Alright kiddo, go on inside."

I hid the glare that I wanted to show to the older woman and walked up the stairs. I reached the top when I saw Hinamori waiting. When she saw me, she squealed with joy.

"Toushiro!" She exclaimed as she came to hug me. "I'm glad you made it!"

"Uh…." I stuttered, trying to get my normal demure back. "Yeah…Who said I wouldn't be here anyhow?"

She seemed to ignore my statement. "C'mon! We have to begin your coronation!"

I nodded; might as well get this thing over with. She went up to the door, did a special knock, and the door opened. I followed her inside. The place was smaller than I had thought but it soon disappeared when I saw Matsumoto Rangiku and Abarai Renji standing at the front of the room.

"Hey, Hitsugaya!" Matsumoto said. "Glad you came. Are you ready?"

I shrugged. "I suppose."

XxXxXx

"This kid really got something…" I thought. Rangiku smirked and Momo grinned. One thing for sure….this kid is a prodigy.

"_Hey, Matsumoto!" I yelled when I entered the room. She turned around. It looked like she was reading a file._

"_What's up?" She asked as she stood up. _

"_So we're going to do the coronation thing today for the kid, huh?"_

"_Looks like. I just read his file. Man, this kid got stuff!"_

"_Like what?"_

_She smirked. "You check it out." Then, she put the file into my hands and walked away. "I'm getting some coffee."_

"_Wow, first time you're not getting some sake in the morning." I called out. She simply waved a hand and closed the door behind her. I dropped my bag on the sofa and collapsed along with it. I began to read his file._

_Name: Toushiro Hitsugaya_

_Age: 14_

_GPA: 4.0_

_School History: Attended Seireitei Academy for his middle school but transferred to Karakura Academy to begin his freshman year. As of this year, he is continuing his education in Karakura Academy._

_From there, I noticed there were some other materials._

_During his years in Seireitei Academy, he was the club leader of Seireitei Leaders, one of the prestigious leadership communities in Tokyo. He joined at 6__th__ grade._

"_Dang," I thought. "Matsumoto wasn't kidding…this kid has some stuff. Well, he better be ready to prove it."_

"Alright then…" Rangiku started. "Lets begin, shall we? Renji, Momo….Code 202."

XxXxXx

Abarai suddenly came at me, nunchucks in both hands. Fortunately, he was slow when taking it out so I was able to see it come out from under his sleeves. As he lashed out, I grabbed the part that was coming at me, shifted my weight, and threw him towards the sofas. The other two girls stared at surprise at the fallen red pineapple.

"Did he just…." Matsumoto started.

"Just throw Renji….?" Hinamori finished. I turned to face the two.

"Is that it?" I asked, hands crossed. Well, this was boring. Then, Matsumoto came out, her staff extended to stab me. I swiftly evaded it and quickly did a spinning back kick without hesitation. She flew back and then Hinamori came into the fight. She had a wooden dagger and quickly tried to "stab" me with it. I dodged her attempts until I grabbed her wrist and pinned her to the ground. I slowly applied pressure to the wrist until she dropped the dagger.

"That's not fair, Shiro-chan." Hinamori murmured. I scoffed.

"Don't call me Shiro-chan. And your attacks were too easy to dodge. You need keep practicing."

I helped her up and saw Matsumoto and Renji walk towards us.

"Well…..that was….." Matsumoto started.

"Amazing." Abarai ended.

I shrugged. "So was that it?"

"Well….Yeah, pretty much." Matsumoto responded. "I didn't think it would end that quickly though….Ahem, well, here is your badge to being in Karakura Ambassadors…."

"What is your group about?" I asked immediately. "Being part of Seireitei Leaders, I saw all the leadership communities in Japan and I didn't see Karakura Ambassadors as part of it when you tell the school that it's a leadership community."

XxXxXx

"Ok…..this kid is smart." I thought as I brushed a little bit of my blond hair away from my face.

XxXxXx

"So you want to know the truth, huh?" Matsumoto asked. I nodded and from there, she and the other two told the story. And as I listened, I began to understand the conversation between Assistant Hirako and Headmaster Yamamoto. Once it ended, their eyes widened.

"You weren't surprised?" Abarai asked.

"Honestly, I was quite surprised." I responded coolly. "But it's a just a complex task that must be completed, correct? Troublesome, but possible to complete." Then, I looked at my watch. "Time to get to school."

"Hey, since when were YOU the boss?" Matsumoto asked.

"I never said I was the boss. I just simply said that it's time to get to school." I grabbed my bag and walked out of the room.

XxXxXx

"Why that little…." Rangiku started but I put my hand on her shoulder.

"It's ok, Rangiku-san. Toushiro can be like that sometimes. Besides, it would be understandable if he was the boss."

She made a face at me.

"Momo…..DON'T YOU WANT ME AS THE LEADER OF THIS GROUP?"

I laughed. "Of course I want you to be the leader but don't over think Toushiro's statement."

"As long as he doesn't say anything to anyone." Renji said as he grabbed his bag. I shook my head.

"Toushiro would never do that. I know he wouldn't."

"It's too bad Rukia-chan missed this!" Rangiku said with an exasperated sigh. "It would have been a great treat for her."

"Nah, she'd probably be jealous of him." Renji stated and we all laughed as we left the room.

* * *

Note: Sorry for the late update guys! I was busy doing stuff and what sucks is that my laptop isn't being nice and keeps on crashing. BUT it will not stop me from updating! BWAHAHAHA! Oh, and have you guys watched Karate Kid with Jaden Smith and Jackie Chan yet? If you haven't, you guys should TOTALLY watch it! It's so amazing and i'm totally buying it on DVD when it comes out! And hey, who knows, i may use some parts from that movie into this story (just the fight scense and stuff). Anyways, i hope you enjoyed this strange move from Rukia's all story pov to Toushiro's pov. Well, then again, the beginning parts of the story was Rukia's pov...but hey, she's the main protagonist of this story anyhow! Ok, bye bye guys until chapter 7!


	8. Sports

Author's note: Alrighty then….well, this is chapter 7! :D How awesome! Well, that previous chapter was just, erm, a side story to say the least. You'll see more of that as the story progress since this is not only an ICHIRUKIREN (cough, cough, Ichiruki, cough, cough) story, but it has a nice bit of Hitsuhina. Did you guys know that I'm thinking of making a hitsuhina story? Well, it hasn't spoken out to me yet and I still need a huge inspiration blast to make it come to life. Anyhow, ENOUGH of hitsuhina! This is an ichirukiren story and this is the most I will speak of hitsuhina in this chapter! Huff….Anyhow, enjoy the story and please comment, favorite/alert, and Rukia will give you a chappy cookie! :) :)

.: Under The Stars :.

Book 1 – Sophomore

Sports

After the interesting tour of the underground secret hospital, I was brought back to the room.

"Now remember, don't tell anyone except for fellow Ambassador members." Nurse, I mean, Doctor Unohana stated. "I hope you have a good day at school, Kuchiki-san."

Then, she handed me my bag. Then I realized that I didn't have a lunch. Well…I guess I had to eat a school lunch now. I thanked Doctor Unohana and left her office.

The hallways were already filled with students going here and there. As I looked at my watch, I noticed there were still 10 minutes before school officially started. To waste some time, I walked into the library. Compared to the hallway, this was 20 times quieter (which was saying many things). Ah, now THIS felt like Tsukihime….

"Good morning." I turned to see a woman with pretty glasses and neat black hair that was cut short. "You must be Rukia Kuchiki. I am the librarian here in Karakura Academy, Ise Nanao."

I did a small bow. "A pleasure to meet you, ma'am."

"Do you have your school ID?"

I nodded and showed it to her. She nodded and allowed me to roam the library freely. I walked through the various shelves with peace. Back at Tsukihime, I would constantly come here to relieve the agitations and stress. This, while it may be pretty nerdy, was sanctuary.

"Hey."

I stopped in my tracks and noticed that orange haired boy on the other side of the shelf. I sighed.

"Hello." Before I could keep on going, he stopped me verbally.

"Wait…Are you ok?" He asked quietly.

"Quite. Just a few bruises and such."

"Good. Renji was wondering."

Speaking of him….I wonder where he was….

"Do you know where he is?" I asked. Ichigo looked around then looked at me.

"Can you decode messages?"

"Why the h*ll are you asking me such a stupid question?" I whispered impatiently.

"Answer the question."

I glared. "Sure. Why are you asking, though?"

He took out a sheet of notebook paper, wrote something, and handed it to me.

"Read it. It's so easy, even a novice Ambassador can figure it out." He whispered. Ugh, are ALL boys that arrogant? I opened it and looked at the paper. It took me a moment to figure it out until I realized I had to take out two letters before each word. Taking those out, the letter said: "Renji is with Rangiku and Momo to coronate Toushiro Hitsugaya."

I looked at Ichigo.

"Another?" I mouthed and Ichigo shrugged.

"Not my decision." Was his answer. "Hey, are you looking for a book in particular?"

"Why do you want to know?" I asked sternly.

"I don't know…I just thought you read that Twilight series or something…"

"Excuse me?"

"Well, most girls read that kind of book and-"

"I've read the entire series. Not my type of book." I stated bluntly. "How about Romeo and Juliet? Or Hamlet? Or maybe even Odyssey!"

"Wow, you read classic books, don't you?" He asked, slightly surprised. I sighed.

"I can read more modern day books as well. For instance, I've read the entire Harry Potter series, the Lightning Thief, and I've read the entire Maximum Ride series."

"You're a bigger book nerd than Ishida."

"Who?"

"Just someone I know. Anyways, you enjoy your time scrolling through the shelves. See you in class."

I ignored him and continued scrolling through the binds. There really were a lot of books.

XxXxXx

I walked out of the library. That girl was really interesting. As I walked through the hallway, I noticed something that caught my eye. I stopped in front of the bulletin board and I noticed that a teacher was putting up the notice for try-outs. When he walked back into the office, I stepped in front of the bulletin board and looked at the teams this year. Of course, it showed the sport and the date of the try-outs. As I scrolled down, I saw the soccer try-outs. What surprised me was that the teams were different. Instead of 4 different teams, there were just two.

"I see you noticed the difference this year." I turned to see Coach Soifon. Not only was the Coach for soccer, but she's also the gymnastic coach AND the track coach.

"What happened to the 4 teams?" I asked as she stood next to me and looked at the notice.

"Headmaster decided it was too much to have 4 teams so he fused the freshman and sophomore team together and the junior and senior team together."

"What?"

"Don't 'what' me, Kurosaki. Besides, it's less troublesome for me to coach all 4 teams when I could just coach 2."

"So what's the team name then?"

"Not sure. Though, Headmaster wishes to use the same name for both teams since they will be competing against different opponents but…." She sighed. "He's thinking of using the name, 'The Shinigami.'"

"Hm… 'The Shinigami,' huh?"

"Are you going to try-out this year, Kurosaki?"

I thought about that for a moment. Should I join the team again? There was a possibility that I'll meet that Grimmjow b*st*rd again….Hm…

"Maybe." I responded. She nodded.

"Alright. Well then, at least remember the try-out date and this time…don't be late."

"Yes ma'am."

Then, Coach Soifon turned and left.

XxXxXx

As I sat on one of the tables, reading Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. There was about 5 minutes before class started anyhow. I just needed to finish reading this last page….

Suddenly, I felt my phone vibrate. Great, who was it? I slowly took it out and it was a text message from Orihime.

"Meet me outside of the Sophomore Building." The message said. I sighed, put a book mark inside the page I was reading, checked it out, and walked outside the building.

I met up with Orihime about a minute later and she smiled.

"I haven't seen you in a while, Rukia!"

I smiled back. "Yeah."

Then she noticed my bruises. "Oh my gosh, did you get into a fight or something?"

"Erm…something like that."

"Oh, that's horrible! Especially since this is like…your third day here!"

"It's nothing really."

"I hope you're feeling better though!"

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine, Orihime. Lets just go ahead and get to class, ok?"

She nodded and we went to our first class. Before I opened the door, I felt someone touch my shoulder. I quickly spun around but relaxed when it was just Renji.

"Rukia, are you feeling better?" He asked. I sighed.

"Why is everyone asking me that? Yes, I am fine."

He looked at me with worry and that's when I gave him a small smile.

"Renji, I'm ok. If I wasn't ok, I would still be with…uh…Nurse Unohana."

I guess that was enough to persuade him because after I said that, he nodded.

"Alright. You need to be more careful next time, Rukia."

I scoffed. "I'm not THAT helpless, Renji."

Then, I walked inside the classroom.

XxXxXx

"Aw, how sweet."

I turned to see Rangiku walking towards me.

"What the h*ll, Rangiku?" I asked. She shrugged.

"I dunno. It was just sweet how you cared about her so much."

"That's because I've been friends with her for a long time."

Rangiku smirked. "Uh huh."

"If you're thinking about me and Rukia being together, then I suggest you shut up."

"Oh, oh, do I see a tint of pink on your cheeks, you Red Pineapple?"

I turned away. "I'm going to class."

"Ok~!"

XxXxXx

Once school was over, Momo walked over to my desk as always.

"Rukia, remember when I told you about the sports here and stuff?" She asked. I nodded.

"Well, they have the date of the try-outs for each sport team!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! Can you come with me?"

I smiled. "Sure. Besides, I need to see the dates for myself."

So, once I packed my bag, I walked out with Momo and into the main building. Students were already crowded around the bulletin board.

"Well, now I see why you wanted me to come with you." I whispered. She laughed.

"Exactly. Hm, but since it's crowded on the main bulletin board, lets go to the others." She whispered back. I looked at her.

"There's another bulletin board?"

"Shh! You don't want those freshmen to know! Only the seniors and juniors know, really. But hey, being part of Karakura Ambassadors really have its kicks."

She grabbed my wrist and we walked down the library hallway.

"Wait, there's a-" I started but Momo interrupted me.

"Yeah. But it's not in the hallway itself…"

Then, she opened the door and that's when I saw the bulletin board at the front of the room.

"How come no one comes here?" I whispered as we silently moved past reading students.

"Well, when you're in a library, you're supposed to be quiet. Well, when it comes to sports and important events like that, most students are pretty loud and would start ranting about it. Or whatever else they would do, at least. But you're usually a quiet person so I figured it would be ok."

I sighed. Well, I guess that was the truth. We stood in front of the big notice sheet for quite some time. This is what it read:

_Students! This is your time to prepare! No, not academically. Instead, for the sport teams! Below are the sport and the date of the try-outs! _

_- The Shinigami Soccer Team (freshmen and sophomore) – Next Monday at 4:30 on the soccer field_

_-The Shinigami Soccer Team (Junior and Senior) – Next Monday at 5:30 on the soccer field_

_-Karakura Women Gymnastics – Next Tuesday at 3:30 in the gymnasium_

_-Karakura Topshots Tennis Team (freshmen and sophomore) – Next Tuesday at 4:20 on the tennis courts_

_-Karakura Topshots Tennis Team (Junior and Senior) – Next Tuesday at 5:15 on the tennis courts_

_-Karakura Martial Art Squad – Next Wednesday at 4:10 in the gymnasium_

_-Karakura Track Team – Next Wednesday at 5:15 at the track field._

_-The Shinigami Basketball Team (freshman and sophomore) – Next Thursday at 3:45 in the gymnasium._

_- The Shinigami Basketball Team (Junior and Senior) – Next Thursday at 5:00 in the gymnasium_

_-Karakura Swim Team – Next Friday at 4:13 in the pool_

_-Karakura Pep Squad Cheerleading Team (freshmen and sophomore) – Next Friday at 5:00 in the gymnasium_

_-Karakura Pep Squad Cheerleading Team (Junior and Senior) – Next Friday at 5:15 in the gymnasium. _

"Wow, it's so much more spread out then last year was." Momo stated as she looked in the notice.

"Couldn't you just put all these team try-outs on one day?"

"Well, if you want to try-out for another team…then wouldn't it be horrible if it was at the same time and day as another try-out?"

"Ah, I see your point."

"So, are there any try-outs here that you want to go for?"

"The Martial Art Squad sounds promising."

She sighed. "I guess they took out the Kendo Team this year…"

"Hm, maybe they put all the martial art teams they had last year and put it into the Martial Art Squad."

"I suppose. And besides, I get enough martial art training…."

"Huh?"

She looked around then returned her gaze at me.

"You see…When I was a little kid, Toushiro and I went to the mall with our parents. During that time, we were in Tokyo and as you know, Tokyo is a crowded place." I nodded and she continued. "Well, as we were strolling through the stores, Toushiro and I got separated from our parents. Being just little kids at the time, it was really scary. We yelled for our parents and then suddenly, a guy came up to us. It really freaked me out because he reached out and try to pull me away."

Then she paused and put her hand over her mouth. Since this must have been really hard, I held her free hand.

"Momo, if you don't want to talk about it, then it's ok." I said. "You can tell me more when you feel more comfortable."

She closed her eyes and nodded. The poor girl…whatever she went through…It must have been hard. Then, she opened her eyes and slowly moved her hand away from her mouth. It showed a small smile.

"Ok. C'mon, lets just change the subject…uh…oh, are you joining the soccer team?"

"Hm, maybe."

Then, she started to shake me. "Please!"

"Shh!" The librarian said suddenly.

"Oops…sorry." We whispered. Then, Momo turned back to me.

"C'mon!" She whispered. "It's so much fun with the team! And plus, I don't like being the only girl there."

I smiled. "Oh…well….."

Her eyes widened and it looked like it had sparkles brightening inside. I couldn't help but laugh.

"Ok, ok. I'll try-out."

"YES!"

"Shh!" The librarian said once again. We blushed in embarrassment, wrote down the times of the try-outs, and walked out.

* * *

Note: GASPS! What is Momo's past that made her join Karakura Ambassadors? Hm, oh how i wonder (sarcasm, guys). Anyhow, I won't be updating next month because i'm going on a special vacation and stuff. So, this is all you guys get for now. T.T Sorry guys. I promise that i'll update more when i come back...but...well, it'll be school time by that time so...erm, maybe i won't update THAT much...ugh, whatever! I'll try to keep giving you guys chapters and stuff. Next chapter will involve a little bit more interaction with the Ambassadors and more about Ichigo's feelings towards Rukia. Sorry if this chapter had some awkward RenRuki in it. I promise, it was more painful for me to type. But i had to type it for the improvement of the plot. xD Anyways, thanks to the dedicated readers who fav/alert the story! Please feel free to submit a comment! :) :) HAVE A GREAT SUMMER GUYS! :)


	9. The Meeting

Author's note: Geez, it's been way too long, huh? About a month of no updates! I hope you guys aren't too mad at me…! Ahem, anyhow, I just got back from the Philippines. It was a lot of fun too! Plus, it gave me some ideas for parts later in the story. Oh, and guess what my stop over was? TOKYO JAPAN! Yet, we couldn't go outside….Sigh…..oh well. Being on Japanese soil is good enough right? Anyways, chapter 8 of Under The Stars is now loading! *a few moments later* Alright, remember, after reading the chapter, please comment and fav/alert the story! THANKS!

.: Under The Stars :.

Book 1 - Sophomore

Chapter 8 – Meeting

"Hm, soccer does seem interesting." I said as me and Momo walked out of the campus.

"It'll be a blast! Plus, since you already have some athletic intellect, I'm confident you'll make the cut!"

"Thanks."

As we continued talking, we heard someone running towards us from behind. We turned around and saw Rangiku coming towards us along with Renji and Ichigo. Great, that orange haired one…

"You just love leaving us, huh, Momo?" Rangiku asked, glaring at Momo who was giving her innocent eyes.

"Sorry. I was busy talking with Rukia."

"Ugh, well, at least try to remember to wait. So," She turned us around and we all started walking. "What did you guys do?"

"We went to check out the sport try-outs." I said. Rangiku's eyes glistened.

"Woo! The sport try-outs!"

I blinked with surprise. "Wait, you do sports?"

"Mm, actually, you have to make 'sports' into 'sport'. I don't really enjoy doing more than one sport. Well, there's only one sport I'm good at either way." She smiled. "I'm trying out for the Cheerleading squad."

"Wow, you're a cheerleader?"

Renji scoffed.

"As always."

Rangiku stopped and turned around to face him.

"Got a problem, you red pineapple?"

"Nothing. It's just that you always join them. Every since middle school."

"Well, you got to admit, she's good at it." Ichigo said with a shrug.

"Hmph, that's because she got perks."

"Excuse me?" Rangiku suddenly asked. "I have just perks? Oh no, I have more than that. I got the body, the looks, and most of all, the flexibility."

"Every year, everyone's always surprised you're trying out." Ichigo murmured. Renji nodded in agreement. I turned to Momo.

"Why is everyone so surprised?" I whispered. Momo sighed.

"It's because during school, she can be a bit lazy and most people think she's not that athletic." She whispered back. I nodded and tapped Rangiku's shoulder. She turned her head.

"What?" She asked.

"If you're going to keep talking to those two, then Momo and I will just go to the Urahara Café now."

As if she snapped back into reality, she smiled and turned around, ignoring the two boys.

"Oh yeah, we still got to get you trained up, don't we?"

I blinked with surprise. "Huh?"

"Hey, hey, shouldn't we wait until tomorrow to do that?" Renji asked.

"Yeah. She just got out of the clinic." Ichigo added. "She'll be a sick mess again after just the simplest training course."

I glared. "What makes you say that?"

"I don't know…maybe the fact that you still have bandages around your arms and how you're such a book nerd that I doubt you'll want to endure the training."

I turned around to face him and walked up in front of him.

"Listen here, I can do whatever crap you got coming at me. Got it, Kurosaki?"

He was taken aback by the statement but glared back.

"We'll see about that, Kuchiki."

"Both you stop it." Momo said, pushing both of us back. "Can we just go and get something to eat already?"

"Fine." Ichigo and I said at the same time.

XxXxXxXx

Once we arrived, we were greeted by Ms. Yoruichi at the counter.

"Welcome guys." She said cheerfully. "What's the order today?"

"Hm….may I have herb tea and two rice cakes?" I asked. She nodded and wrote it down.

"I'll have the peach shortcake and water." Momo said.

"Hm, I guess I'll get that French bread and coke." Rangiku added. Renji and Ichigo looked at the menu.

"Not really hungry but I'll have some coke too." Renji said.

"I'll just get some of the chocolate pocky I guess. Water too." Ichigo said.

Yoruichi quickly wrote all of it down, repeated the orders one more time, and left into the kitchen. Afterwards, we went upstairs to the Karakura Ambassador "HQ." Once Rangiku opened the door, we were surprised to see Toushiro Hitsugaya already seated on the sofa, sipping on a cup of coffee. He looked up.

"So you're here. Took you long enough." He said and continued drinking. We were all silent for a moment. He put the cup down, stood up, and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

"If you don't remember, I'm a member of Karakura Ambassadors." He flipped out the ID. "I'm sure that I have the full right to be here. Also, if you're wondering, I left campus before all of you."

"Well, that explains a lot." Ichigo murmured. Renji made a face.

"Whatever. Besides, don't act so cocky. You're a newbie here."

"And you're saying you aren't, Abarai? If I'm not mistaken, you joined Karakura Ambassadors only last year. My memory says that I've been in a club similar to this back in Seireitei Academy for about 3 years."

Renji was about to punch him but Momo stopped him.

"Renji, calm down." She said. "That's just Toushiro-kun's way of saying hi."

"Yeah, in a really stupid way. You really got an interesting friend, Momo." He jerked out of her grip and sat down. Rangiku sighed.

"Ok, I know everyone is sorta agitated. But we need to start training."

I nodded. "I agree with Rangiku. We should all just relax and do what we need to do."

Rangiku flashed a 'Thanks for backing me up' look and I returned the look with a smile. The other 4 sighed and also nodded.

"Well, Rukia, I forgot to mention this to you but here," She pointed to the long table with chairs in the middle of the room. "Is where we have our normal meetings and such. Heh, this will be your first meeting, actually."

I smiled. Perfect time for me to see what's going on around here….

"We each have our own seat." Renji said then pointed to the labels behind the chair. "Just find your last name and take a seat. But the front seat is Headmaster Yamamoto's seat."

I nodded and looked through the seats. But once I found my last name, I realized that I sat next to that carrot head. Ugh, just great. Sigh, I need to look good, though. It wouldn't be good to start another argument. So, I took my seat along with everyone else.

"Don't worry, the seniors and juniors will be coming later." Ranigku said. "You really have to respect them. They're really strong and fast. Hm, well, you will become like them with practice."

Suddenly, the door opened and we saw Assistant Hirako and 7 other people.

"'Sup?" Assistant Hirako asked with a grin. "So we have the two newbies here. Great work, Matsumoto."

She nodded then raised an eyebrow. "Where's the Headmaster?"

"Tch, had some meeting to go to. So, I'm here to fill in for him."

I rolled my eyes. Great, we have the crazy one leading this meeting. Strangely, everyone didn't seemed freaked out. Well, except for Rangiku.

"Oh, c'mon, Shinji. You don't have to pull the act in front of these guys."

My eyes widened. Did she just call him by his first name? Assistant Hirako laughed.

"You're an interestin' person."

Suddenly, one of the people behind him ran up and kicked his head.

"Geez, Shinji, you're making us wait out there way too long. Now get your sorry a** into the room already, d*nm*tt!" A short, blond haired girl yelled. She wore the normal school uniform of Karakura Academy and had her into two, messy pigtails. What's more appealing is that instead of normal school shoes, she wore flip flops.

"Ah, Hiyori, that really hurt…." Assistant Hirako murmured from the ground. She glared.

"Shut your trap already and get up."

While I hated it, I tapped Ichigo's shoulder.

"Hey, what's going on?" I whispered. Ichigo sighed and turned to face me.

"Assistant Hirako is actually one of us."

"Wait…he's a STUDENT?"

"Well, not really a student. He's more like the voice of the students per say. Er, well, and the other 7 are pretty much his back-up. They're seniors and juniors. Hirako is the leader of that section. Rangiku is the leader of our section, the sophomore and freshman. Of course, Headmaster Yamamoto is the leader of all of us."

Even with that being said, I was surprised how young Assistant…I mean, Shinji was. So that's why they simply call him Shinji here. Hm, a famous Assistant to the public, secretly a normal teen like all of us. That lucky b*st*rd.

Shinji sat in Headmaster Yamamoto's seat and kicked up his feet on the table. The others took their seats accordingly.

"Well, since there's two newbies here, might as well tell them the rules and a bit of introductions." Shinji said. The blond girl, Hiyori, scoffed.

"Bleh, can't we wait until we got those miserable freshman first?"

"But that would take some time…Plus, who's sitting in Headmaster Yama's seat? Yeah, that's right, me."

"Don't gimme that bull crap, Shinji. But since it's your idea, you got first."

"Ah, but they already know me."

"As Assistant Hirako." Hiyori said with a sarcastic tone. He glared and sighed.

"Fine. Hitsugaya Toushiro, Kuchiki Rukia, while I'm known to the school as Assistant Hirako, you may simply call me Shinji here. I'm just like you; a cool teen with nuttin to do but rule the school."

"Sorta like the dream of any kid." I murmured. Shinji nodded.

"Yeah. Well, I'm done. Hiyori, you're turn."

She gave Shinji a 'Che' from under her breath and put her chin on her palm. "The names Hiyori Sarugaki. Don't forget it. And I'm a junior." Then she glanced at a young girl in green hair. "Hey, Mashiro, you go. You seem excited."

She nodded and smiled at everyone. "Hi, Rukia and Toushiro! My name is Mashiro Kuna and I'm a junior too!"

Mashiro had short, straight green hair and wore strange, orange boots instead of the school uniform shoes. Also, she wears goggles ontop of her head.

"Okidokies, you should go next Kensei!" She chirped. The guy seemed unwilling, but sighed.

"Kensei Muguruma, senior. Ok, I'm done. Hey, Love, why don't you go next?"

Kensei had grey hair and wore combat boots instead of normal school uniform shoes.

The other one that Kensei chose smiled. "Hey. I'm Love Aikawa. Hm, and I'm a senior. Rose, you seem ready to go next."

Love had a strange, star like afro and wore sunglasses. He also wore the normal school uniform shoes.

"Hello, new ones. I am Rose Otoribashi, at your assistance. I am a senior as well. Ah, sweet Lisa, you must go next."

Rose had long, wavy blond hair and he wore normal school uniform shoes.

"Phe, I'm Lisa Yadomaru and I'm a junior. Ok, last one."

Lisa had long black hair that was tied into a long braid behind her and wore glasses. Her shoes were like Rose's and Love's. She looked just the librarian…

"Sorry for being last. I am Hachi Ushoda. I am also a junior."

Hachi had short pink hair and was on the fat side…Yet he wore the normal school uniform.

I bowed my head all of them.

"I am happy to meet you all." I said politely. Toushiro had also done the same.

"Oh, you don't have to be polite. We're all the same." Mashiro said cheerfully.

"Well, only in strength are we different." Rose said.

"Great, intros are done. Lets get one with the meeting already!" Hiyori called as she slapped her forehead.

"Alright then." Shinji said as he clasped his hands together. "Sorry if you newbies don't get what's going on at first. Ya'll will have to ask your friends. We don't got to time to explain every single detail."

Toushiro and I nodded. With that, Shinji took out a file and opened it.

"Well, today's activities with the Mundo has been pretty low…" Then he looked at me. "All except for Ms. Kuchiki here, who was attacked by Jaegerjaquez."

"As expected of him." Lisa said. "He always had a strange feeling of terrorizing people."

"We really should get rid of him." Rangiku said. Shinji shook his head.

"Doing that would agitate the other members in Mundo. Plus, we got a new enemy to look at."

The room was deadly silent as everyone's eyes were staring at Shinji's.

"Sosuke Aizen is the new Headmaster of Mundo."

I did not know who this man was, just heard about him, but when I noticed everyone's eyes widen, I knew he was bad business.

"Sh*t, you can't be serious." Kensei said, making a tight fist.

"Sorry, I'm not." Shinji replied. "Believe me, I'm more agitated about this than you may think. We need to figure out what he's planning."

"How?" Renji asked. "It's almost impossible to enter the school without a genuine ID."

"We need to make an ally." Hachi suggested.

This made almost everyone's mouths drop as they turned to look at Hachi.

"Hachi, have you lost your mind completely?" Hiyori demanded. "Making an ALLY with THEM? Don't BS me!"

"But there might be a chance.."

"No. It's too risky." Shinji said. "Why that may be a good idea in some other case…..well, this just ain't the case. We're dealing with a mastermind and a school filled with insane freaks."

"Like we're not ones…" I thought.

Suddenly, Shinji stood up and turned on the Smart Board. It showed various people and I recognized Jeagerjaquez in an instance. I shivered.

XxXxXx

I noticed Rukia shiver from in front of me. She must have seen Grimmjow on the board. Is she really that scared of him? Maybe I should help her….Wait, what the h*ll am I thinking? Besides, she'll just refuse my help. That girl always seems to have issues with me anyhow.

XxXxXx

"Ok, so, we have 14 people that is at our top concern. We have the first one, Coyote Stark. He may seem lazy at first, but don't underestimate him. He's a senior. Then we have the second one, Dr. Baraggan Luisenbarn. He's a professor at the school and I've gotten information that his power is insane. The third is Tia Harribel." He paused as he looked at her until Hiyori threw her slipper at him.

"Stop starin' at her, for crying out loud!"

He rubbed the back of his head. "Alright, alright. Ahem, anyways, she's a sexy senior too."

I rolled my eyes. Of course, once a fool to normal eyes, always a fool.

"Then we have the fourth one, Ulquiorra Cifer. He's usually found around Jeagerjaquez but he's been known to be stronger than him. So watch out when you see him. He's a sophomore." He sighed. "This one has been the most annoying one the previous year. Nnoitra Jiruga and he's a junior. Just like Jeagerjaquez, Nnoitra always picks fights so stay away from him unless you know what you're doing. Well, then again, most of us can take care of ourselves…." Then he looked at me and I returned it with a glare. Geez, why do I have to be the odd one out?

"The next is Grimmjow Jeagerjaquez." Shinji continued. "A common person that's reported causing trouble around our campus and around the streets of Karakura. He's a sophomore. Then we have Zommari Leroux. He's one of the people that don't have the most interaction with reports. Unfortunately, we don't have much information on him except for he's a senior." He paused.

"C'mon Shinji. Don't tell me you're tired already." Rangiku teased.

"Sorry. I need to catch my breath, ya know?"

"Psh, bull." Hiyori said. "You just forgot who this person is."

"Shut up, Hiyori. This is Szayel Granz. While he's known to be the crazy science nerd, he's good with what he's doing. He is a sophomore."

Then, when he went to the next person, I noticed there was no picture.

"Where's the picture for this one?" I asked.

"No one has ever seen what his face looked like." Shinji answered. "This is Aaroniero Arruruerie. All that I know of from him is that he's a sophomore. This guy is Yammy Riyalgo and he's found with Cifer and Jeagerjaquez. He's a junior. Then we got a new girl. She's Nel Odelschwanck. With all honesty guys, she's a strange one. Out of everyone, she doesn't like fights."

"Maybe we should-" Hachi started but Kensei stopped him.

"Look, Hachi, I know you think an ally thing would be great but this isn't the time." Kensei said.

"Anyways, Nel is a freshman. The other 3 are Headmaster Aizen, Mr. Tousen, and Mr. Ichimaru Gin."

Rangiku suddenly made a fist as she looked down when she heard the last name. I wonder what's wrong?

"Now, these 3 are the big ones. We shouldn't mess with them unless proved necessary. Any rash actions could lead to the end of all of us." He turned off the board and took his seat. "If you guys are ever in a fight with the listed, you better be fighting for your life."

Then, the seniors and juniors stood up from their seats.

"We're going to walk around the place." Rose said. "To make sure there is no chaos."

"You guys should start training." Lisa said. "Unless you want to get you're a** kicked."

"Don't be so mean, Lisa-chan." Mashiro said.

"She's not being mean, Mashiro. She's being realistic." Kensei murmured.

"So much work to be done today." Love sighed. "And I got a crap loud of homework tonight."

"Then just stay up all night." Hiyori said as she punched his arm.

"Easy for you to say. You do it all the time." Shinji said, which lead to another beating by Hiyori's flip flop of bloody horror. Hachi was the only one who stayed quiet as they walked out. Only a few moments later did Yoruichi appear.

"Sorry for the wait, guys." She said and put the tray down on the middle of the table. "How'd the meeting go?"

"Fabulous." Rangiku said sarcastically.

"Tremendous." Momo murmured.

"Great." Renji said. Ichigo shrugged and I just looked away. Toushiro stayed quiet as he looked into space. Yoruichi sighed and put her hands on her hips.

"Look, you kids should eat up before you start your training." She ordered. "If not, you're not going home. Don't expect me to feed you either."

I gave her a small smile and took what I ordered. Everyone else followed. I guess this seemed to be the approved action as Yoruichi smiled and walked out.

"Ok guys." Rangiku started as she took a bite from her French bread. "We need to split into groups since we got an even number."

"Eh? What's the point of doing that?" Renji asked.

"Well, it would be easier to train in pairs, right?"

I nodded. "Just like how it's easy to study in pairs."

"Wow, you're such a nerd…" Ichigo murmured. I flashed him a glare.

"No, I'm not. You need to shut up before I make you."

"Oh, I'm so scared. What are you going to do? Slap my face?"

I wanted to stand up but Momo stopped me.

"So, what are the pairs?" Momo asked, changing the subject.

"Well…." Rangiku sighed. "I've decided it to be me and Renji, Momo and Toushiro, and Rukia and Ichigo."

My eyes widened. "I have to be paired with HIM?"

"What the h*ll, Rangiku?" Ichigo asked. "She's not going to cooperate with me! I mean, look how hard-headed she is!"

I turned around. "Look here, Kurosaki, I think it should be the other way around! I won't be able to cooperate with YOU! Look how hard-headed HE is!"

Ichigo and I then had a "glaring contest."

"Well, you two are going to get along swimmingly." Rangiku said cheerfully.

XxXxXx

"You're an idiot." Renji whispered to me. I scoffed.

"Those two need to get along. They always seem to argue over petty things. It won't be good for the team if they continue to argue. Toushiro and Momo need to have some time together since they've been separated for a long time. Of course, you and I need some bonding time."

"Psh, you're lying."

"Yeah, I know I am."

Renji looked at Rukia and Ichigo.

"It's sorta not fair that Ichigo got Rukia though…"

I gave a smug look at him.

"How adorable…."

"What the h*ll?"

XxXxXx

I turned to look at Hinamori, who was trying to separate the two idiots. So she was my partner, huh? I wonder how that will turn out…

After the two turned away from each other, Hinamori stood in front of me.

"C'mon, Toushiro! We should go and start training!" She said with her usual smile. I nodded and stood up.

"So you two are off now?" Rangiku asked. Hinamori nodded.

"Yup. We'll see you later, Rangiku!" She called as she grabbed my hand and pulled me out the door.

Once we were out of the Café, she handed me my skateboard and she grabbed her skates.

"So, where are we going?" I asked as she quickly put the skates on.

"My favorite place to get away from the world." She said as her smile got bigger. Once she got her skates, she motioned for me to follow her as she skated through the alley way. I quickly followed her.

XxXxXx

"Well, we better get going too." Rangiku said as she stood up. "C'mon, Renji. Lets' leave these two."

Renji sighed. "Fine."

As he walked up behind me, he leaned in and whispered, "Don't be rash, Rukia."

I rolled my eyes and he walked past us. Once we were left alone, I turned my back to him.

"If I'm paired up with you, we should at least try to work together." Ichigo stated. "You can't just work alone."

"Well, guess what? I can." I snapped. Suddenly, I was suddenly forced to turn around and Ichigo was gripping my shoulders.

"Look, you may have been the loner during your time at your prestigious all girl school but….You're in a different place. You got different people with you." He gently pushed me away and stepped back. "You have new friends, girls AND guys. Renji is your friend and even if I may not look like it….I can be your friend if you just give me a chance."

I stared at him, not knowing what to say. For the first time since I met this carrot head, I didn't glare at him. Instead, I smirked and chuckled.

"Hm, fine." Then, I pointed at his chest and looked him in the eyes. "I'll give you a chance, Kurosaki."

He smirked as well. "Well, if you're going to call me Kurosaki, I'm just going to call you Kuchiki then."

I twitched. "Gr…Fine."

There was an awkward silence that followed until Ichigo finally sighed.

"Well, we can't just stay here all day." He said. "I want to go ahead and give you your weapon."

"My weapon?"

"Yeah. You have a sword, like me." Then, he opened a cabinet filled with 5 different swords. I recognized Ichigo's hilt as I stared at the swords.

"There's 2 vacant ones. This one is mine, that one is Shinji's, and this one's is Hiyori's. So you can choose from these two."

"Can I look at them, like, take them out of their sheath?"

"Sure."

I gently grabbed both and placed them on the table. I looked at the first one. The hilt was light blue and pink. As I took out the blade, it looked pretty nice. When I returned it back to it's sheath, I looked at the other one. The hilt was a mix of red and brown and as I took it out from it's sheath, I gasped. The blade was pure white. As if something snapped, I knew this was the blade for me. I smiled, returned the blade to it's sheath, and picked the whole thing up.

"This will be mine."

Ichigo nodded. "Great. Shall we go and start training? We'll just go to where I train with Renji."

"What? Some foul smelling dojo or something?"

"No." He grabbed his sword and walked towards the door. "C'mon."

I sighed and followed him out the door to my unknown destination.

* * *

Author's note: HAHAHA! I got over the 4,000 word mark! YEAH! I feel so accomplished! Ahem, anyways…This was a pretty general chapter. Nothing too exciting…ok, there were some exciting parts but not to the point that I wanted. Oh well. YOU GUYS GOT YOUR CHAPTER! And it's a long one too. It should fill up for the month long wait! Alrighty, until next time guys, KEEP READING!


	10. Training

Author's note: Hey guys! Did you guys like the previous chapter? I hope you did! Over 4,000 words of beauty! Well, I guess it's back to the norm, I suppose (around 2,000 to 3,000 words). Well, I guess it depends how well this chapter turns out. But I want to thank falconrukichi for continuing to support my works, RozenPitch for giving me structured criticism, and all the GREAT fans faving/alerting the story! You guys give me motivation! So, please continue to comment and fav/alert the story! Love you guys super duper much!

.: Under The Stars :.

Book 1 – Sophomore

Training

Ichigo and I arrived in front of an abandoned building, a few miles away from the café. It was perfectly hidden from the town through heavy bunches of trees.

The building was about two stories tall and looked like a farm house or something.

"What is this?" I asked. "Are you sure this is the right place?"

"Yeah. Do you have a problem with this?" He asked as he caught his skateboard and put it under his arm.

"No, not really…." I murmured as I took off my skates. Ichigo walked over to the door and opened it.

"Hurry up. We're not staying here forever." He called as he went inside. Ugh, boys. They're such a pain. I grabbed my skates and walked inside. My eyes widened with surprise.

Well, the first floor was like a large square. The south side was the double doors and the two windows to the side. On the west were two hammocks, tied to the wooden poles holding the second floor. On the north side were sofas, a TV, and a stereo system. On the east side were another set of two hammocks tied to the wooden poles holding the second floor. On the south eastern side and south western side were the stairs. On the second floor were various pictures held in frames on the wall, windows on the sides, two cabinets on the north side, and the second floor middle was cut to show the first floor's middle. In other words, the second floor was like a square doughnut where the middle is cut open but the sides are still there.

"This is where you train?" I asked.

"Yeah. Also, my friends and I come here just to hang out after school. But I guess we'll talk about that later. We should probably use wooden swords for right now and then go back to using the real ones. You can come upstairs if you want." He said as he started walking up. I followed him and decided to look at the pictures. One picture was Ichigo and Renji, one of their arms around the other's neck. Both were smiling.

The other was a picture of I assumed the soccer team. I noticed Momo was in the middle, squatting. She was the most obvious since she was the only girl there. Aw, poor Momo….Oh well, the smile on her face seems to show otherwise.

The next picture was the one that surprised me. It was an old picture…There was a young man, a young woman, and a young boy in orange hair. The young man was holding one baby with light brown hair and the young woman was holding a baby with black hair. This must be Ichigo's family. I wonder why it was old and slightly burned in some sides. Though I had such a strong urge to ask, I decided to keep the question to myself.

Once I straightened, Ichigo had gotten the wooden swords.

"Sorry there isn't much here." He said and threw me one of the wooden swords. "Lets go downstairs and start."

"Sure…" I murmured as I followed him downstairs. Once we were in the middle, I started to take notes of Ichigo's teachings…or at least, HOW he taught.

"So, how much do you know?"

"A decent amount."

"I think our thinking of 'decent' is different."

"Hm, well, I know the normal stance along with how to hold it."

I demonstrated by holding the sword with both hands gripping the hilt and making a strong stance. He nodded.

"Wow, well, at least you know the easy part."

I rolled my eyes. "Can you just please just show me what else I need to know?"

"Well, uh…."

"C'mon, haven't you taught someone before?"

"Not really."

"WHAT?" I yelled, glaring at him.

"HUH? WHY ARE YOU SO ANGRY?"

"BECAUSE HOW THE HECK ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO TEACH ME WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO TEACH? UGH, YOU'RE SO STUPID!"

"I'M NOT STUPID! I'VE JUST NEVER TAUGHT SOMEONE BEFORE! IS IT THAT BAD?"

"YES!"

He gritted his teeth and scratched his head with agitation. He took a deep breath and stared at me.

"I'll try my best to teach you. Sorry if it sucks. Ok?"

I made a skeptical face but nodded. He sighed and for 2 hours, he showed me the proper way of blocking and swinging the blade. Along with that, he showed me how to control the flow of where I was slicing. There were some very awkward parts; the main one being how he stood behind me, held my hands that were gripping the hilt, and started showing me the proper way to block various attacks.

Once the two hours had past, he nodded with satisfaction and gave me a smile.

"You're not all that bad, Kuchiki."

I grunted. "You're pretty ok for a first time teacher, Kurosaki."

We were awkwardly silent until he coughed.

"Ahem, well, uh, I guess there's only one more thing to do before we go home."

"And that is….?"

He picked up his wooden sword and pointed the tip at me.

"Sparring."

My eyes widened as he dashed towards me. I quickly blocked it and began to remember the first time we fought…That coronation….Him attacking….Me using a broom to block….Yes…

I felt a surge of new strength flowing through my veins as I took the offensive. Once I saw an open spot, I tried to slice it but he jumped back and lunged again. Though he was taller and had more experience, I was able to dodge, block, and deflect his attacks while throwing a few counters here and there. Since he was taking this seriously, I knew I had to take it seriously so I decided to pull a small trick from my sleeve.

As he swung his sword horizontally, I bent my back, put one hand on the floor, and swung a kick sweep kick at his legs. Oh, and that entire move was done in about 20 seconds. Ichigo lost his balance and just before he could stand again, I was standing on top of him, my wooden blade tip touching his chin.

"Looks like the pupil overcomes the teacher, huh, Kurosaki?" I asked with a smug. He grimaced.

"Whatever. That was just newbie luck. I just wasn't taking you seriously."

"Hmph…" I removed the blade from his chin and moved away from him. "Sure you weren't."

As I walked towards the window, I gasped. The sky was already dark.

"WHAT TIME IS IT?" I asked frantically. Ichigo stood up and looked at his watch.

"6:30. Why?"

"CRAP!" I threw down the wooden sword and grabbed my skates from the side of the door. "Sorry, Kurosaki, but I have to go! My sister must be so worried…."

"What about your sword?"

"Just take it to my house later."

"I have no f*cking clue where your house is, Kuchiki."

"Well….Ugh, ok, just leave it at the Urahara Café." Once I got my skates on, I quickly got my balance. "Alright, I have to go. See you later."

I sped down the trail as I frantically made my way back home…

XxXxXx

I sighed. Why does she always leave so quickly? Suddenly, I noticed something on the ground. I took it and realized it was her hair thing given by Renji. Crap, she must have been running too fast that it probably untied itself and fell. Sh*t…I shook my head. What is wrong with girls these days….? I put the gift in my pocket.

I walked back inside and back upstairs. As I returned the wooden swords back to the cabinet and picked up the real ones, I stared at my family picture.

"Mom…." I closed my eyes and said a small prayer. Once I opened my eyes, I smiled. "Thanks for today."

Once I was outside again, I stared at the sky. The stars are really nice today...

XxXxXx

"What's wrong, Renji?" Rangiku asked as we walked to her house.

"Nuttin."

"Hmph, that's more like an understatement."

"I'm fine, Rangiku."

She stuck her tongue out.

"Ew, I bet you're not."

I stayed quiet. I couldn't explain it but….why did I feel like something was forgotten? Ugh, but if I told that to Rangiku….God, it would be the end of my ears.

XxXxXx

2 hours before, Toushiro and I had gone to my favorite place in all of Karakura. It was a river surrounded by a dense forest. Along with the river, there was a small waterfall.

"_This really reminds me of our favorite Tokyo hang-out." Toushiro murmured. I giggled._

"_Well, now you understand why this is my favorite place to get away. It reminds me of us back when we were kids."_

_He smirked. "I suppose it does."_

"_Ok, well, we better get training now."_

"_Sure. Would you like to do hand-to-hand combat first?"_

_I nodded and he quickly came at me, a tight fist already prepared to strike. My response was quickly sliding to the side and doing a fast spinning hook kick. He did an aerial flip and landed only a few feet away. Toushiro then made a stance. I knew he was strong, even if I was older than him. From what his parents told me one time, he had been training hard ever since we moved, which was a few years ago. Because I only started doing martial arts last year, it's no wonder why he has more experience. Before I could react, Toushiro was already in front of me, grabbing my arms, and pushing me to the ground. I winced at landing but as I stared up, I could only smile._

"_Why do you have to be so strong?" I asked. He blinked a few times, but closed his eyes and stood up._

"_Practice. You need to get some reflexes or else you'll never be able to protect yourself. Lets go again." He held out a hand, I took it, and stood up. _

Two hours had past and we were on our way back to my house. As we were walking, I noticed he kept on looking at the sky.

"The stars are really nice, huh?" I asked.

"Yeah. I guess you can see them better here than back in the city…" He murmured. I giggled.

"That's because the neon lights are blocking the amazing sky view. Of course, I've seen this many times already."

He stayed silent as he continued to look up. Looking up to the wonderful sky above.

XxXxXx

I returned home in a few minutes. Geez, I haven't been here since the attack. I hope I didn't worry Hisana…I walked up to the door and knocked. I braced myself as the doorknob turned. When the door opened, I saw Hisana, who was holding a picture of me. Yup, I worried her.

"Oh, Rukia, you're ok!" She said and quickly hugged me.

"Um…yeah…of course I am onee-chan." I said as I slowly patted her bag. She let go and led me inside.

"You must be very hungry. I made dinner."

I stared at the food with surprise. There was a big bowl of miso soup, teriyaki fish, a plate of sashimi, and cucumbers shaped like, of course, chappy.

"O-O-Onee-chan…what's all of this?" I asked. She smiled.

"This is for you, Rukia. Your brother is coming from work now."

"Well, may I put these away." I showed her my skates and my school bag. She gasped.

"Where did you get those?" She asked, pointing to the skates. Oh yeah, I never told her…

"Well, um, I'm in Karakura Ambassadors and they gave me this."

She blinked with surprise. "You're in….the Ambassadors?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Oh," She smiled. "Nothing. Go ahead and put it in your room, Rukia."

Hm, that was strange...I shrugged it off and walked to my room. I took a deep breath and let it all out, glad to see my room in nice shape as I left it. I placed my skates beside my bedroom door and put my bag on the bed. Since I haven't been on the computer in a while, I decided to check my emails and such. Plus, I was hoping to read some Naruto and Fullmetal Alchemist chapters. What? You thought a young woman who tries to be formal, reads a lot, and makes outstanding grades shouldn't read manga? Please, that's so overrated. Manga is for the public, manga is the soul….Ahem, anyhow…

I typed in the URL to my email and signed in. My inbox showed 15 unread emails. Oh, how great. Well, most of them were just notifications from my facebook. It was until I noticed an email from Renji. I looked to see when it was sent. Awkward…It was sent a few minutes ago. I clicked on it and began to read it:

_Hey Rukia…_

_How was training?_

_Are you alright?_

_I hope everything is doing great on your end._

_See you at school._

_Renji_

Ugh, he's such a strange idiot, just like all boys. I clicked reply, typed in my email, and sent it. Once that was through, I heard the front door open. Ah, it was probably Nee-san from work. I closed the lid of my laptop and walked out. Nee-san put down his suitcase and looked up when he saw me. At first, I thought he would be worried and hug me like Hisana did, but instead, he nodded towards me.

"Rukia, you are safe." He said. "Come, lets eat now."

I blinked a few times but followed his wish. Besides, when you have tons of food all in your "honor" per say…You can't just deny it. Well, unless you're on a diet. Of course, I wasn't.

* * *

Note: Yup, that's it. xD Short chapter, I know. I'm sorry! But I was actually catching up on the Naruto chapters. I was seriously crying when I saw how Naruto was born and everything! Gaaah! I feel like crying! So, yeah, I'm sorry about that. Can't help it, ya know? I like a whole bunch of Shonen, including Naruto and Bleach. For some reason, I don't really like One Piece…but I like Fairy Tail. xD Why am I so weird? Oh well. Anyways, please comment and fav/alert! Thanks guys!


	11. Don't Go

Author's note: Heey! Wow, I'm on an updating role! Woohoo! Anyways, I was catching up on Naruto and geez, I feel like crying! Oh my goodness! Minato and Kushina (Naruto's parents) died for Naruto and for the village! Gah, so depressing! I would like to use that in this story but ha, ha, ha, that's almost impossible. Maybe in another fanfic, hm? But yeah, that idea is going to stay in my brain. Well, pushing that aside, this chapter isn't too exciting. But hey, this is CHAPTER 10 of Under The Stars! Yaay! Hopefully, Book 1 will end either on chapter 20 or chapter 25. Anyways, enough of that! I'm going to shut my mouth and let you readers, well, do your thing when coming across a fanfic. Remember to comment and fav/alert! Thanks!

.: Under The Stars :.

Book 1 – Sophomore

Chapter 10 – Don't Go

_I was running. Running away from something….But I knew that this "something" was coming in…closer, closer….The darkness seemed endless. Where was I?_

"_You seem so unsure of yourself, Rukia." A mysterious voice called. My eyes widened as I looked around. Who was it? I was surrounded by complete darkness…_

"_You're looking the wrong way, Rukia." The voice said again. I turned around again and suddenly saw a glistening light but….It was coming down towards me. In a flash, I saw blood, lots and lots of blood. What….What…._

"_I can't have someone who doesn't scream. I want you to scream, RUKIA!" The voice called again….._

I woke up screaming. Beads of sweat slowly made it's way down my forehead. I slowly looked at my clock. Well…at least it was already 6 something…

"Ugh…" I murmured as I touched my forehead. It was throbbing with pain. Note to self: Headaches in the morning is not a good omen for the rest of the day. Hisana soon came into the room.

"Is everything alright, Rukia?" She asked, worry in her eyes. I gave her a small smile.

"I'm fine, onee-san."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course. Where is Nee-san?"

"He has already left for work."

"Oh, ok. I had hoped he could drive me to school today…."

"Why?" She touched my forehead. "Maybe you're sick."

"No, no! I'm fine, really. I just don't want to walk to school is all…" That's when an idea popped into my head. "Actually, I'll be fine, Onee-san. Thank you for your concern."

She bit her lip and touched my cheek.

"If there is something wrong…"

"Everything is fine. Now, I must prepare myself for school. I will be ready for breakfast shortly."

Hisana stared at me for a moment but she knew that she wouldn't win this argument so she stood up and walked out. Once the door closed, I got out of the bed and took out my school uniform. Thank goodness Hisana cleaned it last night…

After taking a bath and all the normal morning things a girl needs to do in the bathroom, I returned to my bedroom and started brushing my hair. As I did so, I realized something….Something wasn't on my desk that was supposed to be there….I dropped my brush and looked frantically through my school bag and into my drawers.

"Crap, where did I put it? Where is it?" I thought as I looked through almost all containers in my room. "Why isn't it on my desk?"

That's when I remembered last night. I had put on my skates and quickly dashed out. When I returned home….I slapped my forehead. No wonder my hair was loose when I got home!

"Ugh, why didn't I think of that earlier?" I thought aloud. I sighed, cleaned my room, grabbed my school bag, and went into the kitchen. Hisana had already laid out a small omelet, tea, and rice balls. She was, at the moment, making my bento.

"Go and eat your breakfast, Rukia." She said.

"Ok." As I took my seat and picked up my chopsticks, I was calling someone I knew I could trust…

XxXxXx

"Aaaah! That was a great shower!" I said as I walked out. "Mmhm, I needed that indeed."

Suddenly, I heard my cell phone ring. And it was the ringtone I gave Rukia. Oh, and if you were curious, I gave her the ringtone Nobody by Wonder Girls. I wrapped myself and my hair in a towel and walked into my room. Quickly, I answered the phone.

"Hello~? Matsumoto Rangiku answering." I said.

"Um….Rangiku…"

"Rukia, what's wrong?" I asked, suddenly worried.

"Well, do you mind walking me to school?"

I paused. I wonder what was wrong with her all of a sudden?

"Sure thing. What's your address?"

"Sairentohiruzu street…Apartment Room 12. The apartment building I live in has many plants around it."

"Oooh, you live close to Orihime!"

"Huh?"

"Her street where her house is, well, it's only 2 or 3 blocks away. But lately, she's been sleeping over with Tatsuki and everything. Anyhow, I'll stop talking! I'll be there as soon as I can, ok?"

"Thanks, Rangiku."

I grinned. "Anything for a friend."

I hung up, slapped on my school uniform, fixed my hair, and stared out the window. Things are going to be very interesting today….

XxXxXx

Once Hisana finished the bento, I had already finished my breakfast.

"Thanks, Onee-chan." I said as I grabbed my bento.

"Please be careful." She called out as I went towards the door.

"I will!" I replied as I put on my shoes and walked out of the door. It was a partially cloudy day but even so, there was something wrong. Like something was going to happen later….

"Oh Rukia!"

I looked down and saw Rangiku waiting for me at the gate of the Apartment Building. I smiled and waved.

"I'll be right down!" I yelled and quickly went down the stairs. Well, whatever happens, at least Rangiku is there. Once I met up with her, we started walking towards the campus.

"So, is everything going well?" She asked.

"Of course. It's better to be with a close friend than to walk alone, right?"

"Hm, I guess." She smiled. "Oh, what am I talking about? Of course you're right!"

We laughed and walked in silence. Well, that didn't last too long.

"How was training with Ichigo?" She asked. I sighed.

"He's a pathetic accuse for a sword user."

"Well, you can't really blame him for everything…."

"Um, yes, I can actually." I said bluntly. "I still can't believe he's the one that saved me. Ugh, I feel so weak."

"Then just get stronger."

That statement made me look at her. She didn't look at me, but she only smiled.

"Ya know, its hard living in this world, where people can come and backstab you at any given moment. That's why you have to learn to get stronger. Even if you think you're the strongest, keep getting stronger."

We were silent until the question I thought about yesterday came into mind.

"Rangiku, while this may seem out of nowhere, but could you tell me about you and…this Gin Ichimaru person?"

We stopped walking and I notice she had placed her hand on a necklace that she wore every day since I've met her.

"Maybe another time." She said simply. "I'm sorry."

"No, you shouldn't be." I said. Afterwards we just continued walking without saying a word.

XxXxXx

Once at the campus, Rangiku was back to her carefree, cheerful persona.

"Mm, looks like everyone here seems in a good mood, ne, Rukia?"

"Uh, yeah…" I responded, sort of surprised by her change of mood.

"Hey guys!"

We turned to see Momo and Toushiro walking towards us. Rangiku smiled.

"What's up, Momo? Hey Toushiro!"

"I'm doing great, Rangiku!" Momo responded happily but Toushiro just shrugged.

"Hinamori, I'm going to the library. I'll meet you in class later." He said as he brushed past us. Rangiku stuck her tongue out when his back was towards us.

"That little prodigy! Thinks he can just walk past his elders like that!"

"Um, so wouldn't you be saying that you're old?" Momo asked. Rangiku paused and after a moment, she slapped her forehead.

"Ugh, how disgusting! I'm a young, sexy woman and I just called myself old!" She did a fake gag. Momo and I laughed. She really knows how to make someone laugh.

"Kuchiki!"

I blinked and turned around. Ichigo, Renji, and two other guys were coming towards us.

"You forgot something." Ichigo said and tossed me something in a small brown box.

"Huh?" I opened it and gaped. "My hair clip!"

"Yeah, Ichigo told me what happened." Renji said, hinting slight agitation in his voice.

"Well," I said as I put it on. "Thank you for returning it to me, Kurosaki."

"Hm, I couldn't do anything with it so, might as well give it back to its owner."

I sighed. "Whatever. Who are they?"

"These two, my friend Rukia, are Ichigo's friends." Rangiku said. "This one with the glasses is Uryuu Ishida."

He lifted up his glasses and nodded. "A pleasure to meet you, Kuchiki Rukia."

"And this tall, tan guy is Chad."

"Chad….?" I started, since she didn't say a last name.

"Chad Sado." The guy said.

"He doesn't say much." Renji added. "But he's crazy strong."

Chad nodded to confirm this. I smiled.

"Greetings." I said.

"Gaah, you need to stop being so formal all the time! We're not in some stupid etiquette school, are we?" Ichigo said. I glared.

"How many times do I have to tell you? I can be formal if I wish to be!" I snapped. We glared at each other, my blood boiling.

"Ooook, I think that's enough." Rangiku said, pushing us aside. "Why don't we head to class?"

"Fine by me." Ichigo and I said in unison.

XxXxXxXx

Classes finally ended for the day and along with that, the first week of school was over.

"Yeah! First week of school is finally ovaaa!" Rangiku cheered as her, Momo, and myself were walking towards the Urahara Café.

"I know, right?" Momo agreed. "So, what are you guys doing this weekend?"

"Of course, I need to prep myself for try-outs!" Rangiku said knowingly.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about those!" I said. "I need to prepare myself for soccer."

"Hey, want to practice with me and Toushiro tomorrow morning? We'll come by your place to pick you up and then we can head for the soccer fields."

"Sure. Rangiku knows my address so you can ask her later."

She nodded and smiled. "I'm so glad you're trying out, Rukia. It will be great to have another female on the team aside from myself!"

I smiled back. "I agree."

Once at the Urahara Café, we walked upstairs but once Rangiku opened the door, Shinji flew past us, landing on one of the sofas.

"You idiot!" Hiyori yelled.

"Stop being so loud, Hiyori…" Lisa murmured. "Can't you see I'm reading?"

"Shut up!"

"Um…" I started but Momo placed her hand on my shoulder.

"This is just a normal afterschool Friday in the Urahara Café." She said.

Shinji slowly got up from the sofa and nodded at the three of us.

"Hey guys…" He said.

"Something happen between you and Hiyori again?" Rangiku asked.

"Ugh, apparently, I forgot to give her the printout of her homework that she forced me to ask one of her teachers. It's in my office but I don't want to go back there cause Headmaster Yama will start getting in my hair with all that stupid paperwork sh*t he gives to his underlings."

"Underlings?" I asked. "Don't you mean Underling…?"

"Whatever. Hey, Rukia, can you go get it for me?"

"Eh? You do it yourself!"

"C'mon. Hey, I know where your permanent record!"

"And that's scary how?"

"Please. Hiyori's really pissy today and Headmaster Yama is being a lazy old man. I have nowhere to go but if I at least calm Hiyori, I won't have paperwork."

"Ugh, I think YOU'RE the lazy one." I sighed. "But I'll go get it."

I turned my heels and walked out.

"Thanks Rukia!" He called. Ugh, how the h*ll is the captain of the junior and senior squad? More or less an assistant for a school! What a crazy world I live in….

XxXxXxX

I returned home from hanging out with my friends. I braced myself for the "Ultra, Omega, Extreme Isshin Kick" as I slowly turned the knob. But as I walked inside…No one had done anything. Had something happened to Mom? Mom had been sick for months but always seemed to look her best. The doctors even said she wasn't in critical condition until a few days ago. My Dad is a doctor as well; he owns a clinic, so that's where we keep our Mom but….

"Ichigo-nee-san…"

I saw Yuzu at the door that connected the clinic and our house. She was biting her lip and shivering.

"Yuzu, what's wrong?" I asked, dropping my bag and coming towards her.

"Something's wrong with Mom…." She said and that's when I knew something bad was happening. I flew open the door, ran through the hallway, and into where we were keeping our Mom.

"Hang in there, Masaki…" I heard Dad say. He was sitting next to her, holding her hand.

"Dad, what's going on?" I asked. He slowly turned his head.

"Your mom…her heart rate went down today..."

"What are you saying…?"

"I'm saying that….it's almost her time."

"What?"

I ran up beside her.

"Mom, please, say something. Don't go! I can't have you leave me now! I've been praying for you to be ok! It can't go to waste like this!"

She slowly opened her eyes and looked at me.

"Ichigo…." She moved her free hand to touch my cheek. "I'm sorry I can't see graduate your high school life…."

"Stop talking like that!" I demanded. "This isn't like you! You need to fight this!"

I grabbed her hand that was touching my cheek and squeezed it.

"Rangiku told me something one day…She told me that even the weakest of beings can get strong. Even the strong can get stronger. The stronger can become the strongest. All you need is to have a driving force to pull you there." I looked at her. "YOU CAN BECOME STRONGER! YOU NEED TO FIGHT THIS!"

"Ichi….go…." My dad whispered.

"Ichigo…" Mom started but suddenly started coughing.

"Masaki, you need to stop talking or else you are just rushing your death!"

"I'm fine…Isshin…" Mom whispered and she turned her gaze at me. "Thank you for the inspirational quote from Rangiku but….I think I've fought this fight long enough, wouldn't you say?"

"Ch…." Was all that could come out of my mouth as I looked away from her and trying to hold in tears. Sh*t, I can't believe this…Suddenly, Karin and Yuzu came inside.

"Mom!" Karin yelled and came at my side.

"Oh Karin, you're filthy…Make sure you take a bath tonight." She whispered.

"Please don't go, Mom!" Yuzu cried, hugging her tightly from my Dad's side.

"We can't have you leave us." Karin added.

We were all surrounding her and I saw a smile come across her face.

"It's about that time…" She whispered. "Thank you, Isshin…For everything…Take care of the children the best you can. Karin, Yuzu, I want you two to take good care of each other. You are sisters and sisters stick together through thin or thick. And….Ichigo…" She coughed. "Be a… strong teen and now, I can finally see you play soccer with your friends. Don't succumb to evil and….always fight for the right reasons."

She then looked at each of us, her smile radiating one last time through us.

"I love all of you…and I will always be watching…" She whispered. "Now….it is goodbye….for now…."

I felt her hand slipping and we saw her eyes close. What was more heart wrenching was that she died with a smile. God….

Yuzu began to bawl her eyes out, Karin was stifling her tears, and my Dad was still holding onto Mom's hand, tears falling down his eyes. I stared breathlessly at the now deceased mother that laid before me.

"Why did you have to go….?" I whispered. I didn't cry, I couldn't. But there was one thing true…I felt like a dense, horrible cloud had come and started raining. The worst part….The rain didn't stop.

* * *

Note: Aw, how sad! T_T Masaki is dead. Well, then again, it happened in the Bleach manga but in a different manner. Well, I had to express my sadness towards Naruto's parents past and stuff! So, this is how I expressed it. In a depressing piece of…uh….writing. I'm not too good with depressing stuff so sorry if it wasn't too good. More epicness will appear next chapter! ^o^ Remember to comment and fav/alert! Under The Stars Fighting! (hehehehe, k-pop is getting to me now!)


	12. Mondays

Author's note: Wow, wow, wow! I've been on an updating role! It's not a bad thing, but the complete opposite! I know you guys are really liking this story! But hey, guess what? I made a Naruto oneshot and it's already published! It's called "Forever With You" and it's about Minato and Kushina and stuff! If you happen to love Naruto like me and have read chapters 498-504, then please read it! Oh, and I've also made another one called "The Typical Uzumaki Family."

All of that was in dedication to…well, Onemanga. As some of you may already know, Onemanga is shutting down today. It's sad, horror stricken news but what can we do? Nothing really….So, this chapter will be in dedication of Onemanga "passing away" on 11:59 PM PST. Please remember to comment and fav/alert. Thanks guys!

.: Under The Stars :.

Book 1 – Sophomore

Mondays

The weekend went by very quickly. I was surprised by the speed and I was caught off guard when it was Monday morning. Though the weekend past by quickly, I noticed something from Ichigo. Apparently, he and the rest of the family didn't leave their home, at least that's what Rangiku told me. It was strange, believe me. I asked Rangiku if she knew why, but Rangiku said he never responded to her reply. Apparently, Ichigo had given her a text saying,

"I won't be going to training this weekend. Tell Kuchiki. Thanks. –Ichigo"

And her reply was,

"Ok. But how come?"

And there was nothing afterwards. That was sent on Saturday morning.

So, I hoped to ask him at school.

Once I had finished breakfast, Hisana came into the room, a smile fixed on her face.

"Rukia, you will never believe who it was that was on the phone!" She exclaimed. I blinked.

"Um…Who was it…?"

Her smile widened. "Kaien…Shiba…"

I gasped. "Kaien-dono? He's here?"

"No, but he has returned from his trip in America and he's right now in Tokyo. He wants to see you again. I told him that you moved to Karakura and he said that he'll be coming. It may take him some few hours so he should be here by the time your classes end."

"Oh, that's such great news!" I said as I stood up. "The next time he calls, tell him that I have something special for him!"

She nodded as I ran out of the door. Rangiku, as requested, was waiting outside the gate.

"Hey, Rukia. Don't you seem happy on a Monday morning?" Rangiku said. I nodded.

"An old friend….is coming soon."

"Another one?"

I looked at her and as she realized that she put a sarcastic tone in her question, she laughed.

"Oh, sorry. It's just that you had Renji and now you got another friend? Hehehe, you have a lot of friends, don't you?"

I smiled and looked down. "Actually…Renji and the other one are my only true friends. Everyone else….were backstabbers…"

"Oh…."

Then I looked up and smiled. "But that was in the past. Look at me now! I have true friends, like you and Momo. I think I'll be fine."

Rangiku was silent for a moment, her face confused but after a single moment, she grinned.

"Heh, that's what I'm talking about!"

As we continued walking, we pasted by the graveyard. As we did so, I noticed someone at a side glance. Then, I realized who it was.

"Rangiku, you can go ahead and walk on to school." I said as I stopped.

"Huh? Why?"

"I, um, forgot something back at home."

"WHA?"

"Yeah, I know, I'm foolish. But I don't want to make you late because of me. So you go on ahead."

She stared at me, looking for real answers, but only let out a sigh of defeat.

"Alright."

Then, she walked on. Once she was out of sight, I walked into the graveyard.

"It's surprising I'd see you, Kurosaki." I whispered once I was behind him. He seemed to have been surprised as he turned around.

"K-Kuchiki? What are you doing here?" He asked.

"I was on my way to school with Rangiku when I saw you." I looked at the grave. "Who is this?"

"A relative." Then, he grabbed his bag, which was lying next to the tomb, and started to walk off. I stared at the tomb.

"Masaki Kurosaki, eh?" I murmured and turned my heels. "I guess I should ask more people about this relative…"

XxXxXx

At school, Momo was waiting for me at class.

"Hey, Rukia!" Momo said as I took my seat. I smiled.

"Morning, Momo."

"Ah, Monday morning…." She said with a sigh.

"Yeah…Hey, by the way, may I ask you something?"

"Oh, sure. Go ahead."

"Do you know who Masaki Kurosaki is?"

I thanked the heavens that Ichigo wasn't sitting beside me.

"That's his mom." She said cheerfully. My eyes widened with surprise.

"Really?"

"Yeah. She's such a sweet lady. Whenever I come over to practice with Ichigo, she always answers the door and gives me some snacks. Why do you ask?"

I looked down. "Erm, nothing."

"Did something happen?"

"No…." I began to piece everything together. Ichigo didn't leave his house all weekend and he was standing in front of his mom's tomb. No one else seems to know she's dead…I slowly placed my hand over my mouth. This is….

"By the way, you do know what today is right?" Momo asked.

"Huh?" I looked at her. She sighed.

"Today is the big try-outs!"

My eyes widened. Sh*t, today is the big try-outs!

"Don't tell me you didn't practice!"

"Everything is fine, Momo." I said confidently. "I'll do fine."

She smiled. "Hm, ok!"

As she walked back to her seat, I slapped my forehead. I was so consumed over what was wrong with Ichigo that I forgot about the entire soccer try-outs today! Wait…Did I just think that I was consumed over what was wrong with ICHIGO? I felt my face form a face of disgust. Ugh, that was just horrible. Soon, Ichigo came into the room. His aura…It wasn't like before. Did something happen? He sat behind me and he started taking out his books. I turned to look at him.

"Hey, Kurosaki, did something happen?" I asked. He looked up at me.

"Hm? Nah, nothing happened." He said bluntly.

"No…Something happened. Your aura is different from before."

"Aura? Really? Well, if you're so curious, then I got a nice boost for today."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Yeah. You better be ready for soccer try-outs today."

I sighed. Even with everything going on, he still remembers the try-outs. Oh just great….

XxXxXx

As always, classes ended quickly and I found myself getting worried. Momo touched my shoulder.

"Hey, don't tell me you're nervous!"

"Oh, then I'd be dishonest then. Of course I'm nervous!"

She laughed. "You'll do fine. Do you have any shorts and a t-shirt to change into?"

"Er…No, I don't."

"Hm, well, I think I know a certain someone who can help with that."

She grabbed my wrist and dragged me down the hallway.

"Where are we going?" I asked. She smiled.

"You'll see."

A few minutes later, we arrived in front of a door. Momo quickly knocked on it.

"Coach Soifon! It's me, Hinamori Momo!" She called. A few moments later, a young woman who had long black hair tied into two, small braids and clipped with white clips, was standing before us.

"Hm? Hinamori, I'm glad to see you're doing well." She said and looked at me. "Who's the new one?"

"This is Kuchiki Rukia." Momo said for me.

"A Kuchiki!" Soifon exclaimed, slightly surprised. "Interesting…To think a Kuchiki would be joining our school. Well, nevertheless, what do you need, Kuchiki?"

She was the second person to call me Kuchiki, but I dismissed it since she was, after all, a teacher.

"Erm, Momo says you have spare shorts and t-shirts…"

"Hmph, I see you're going to be trying out for my soccer team, eh?"

My eyes widened. This woman, who wore a red blouse, a black skirt reaching her knees, and Chinese styled pointed shoes was the coach of the soccer teams?

"Uh…Um…Yes…"

"Stop mumbling. It shows only fear. Now come inside, both of you. We need to get you into proper attire for the try-outs, Kuchiki."

XxXxXx

"Heeeeey, Ichigo!"

I stopped and turned to see Keigo and Renji coming towards me.

"What's up, guys?" I asked, knuckle touching both friends.

"Just getting pumped for the try-outs today!" Keigo replied, stretching his arms.

"Ya know, soccer is about the legs..Not the arms." Renji whispered. Keigo stopped and rolled his shoulders.

"I…I knew that."

Renji and I ignored him as we both made our way towards the fields.

"Looks like you guys are ready to go." I said, looking at my friends. Renji smirked.

"Yeah. Guess you are too."

"Hm, I suppose so. I just sorta remembered about the whole try-outs this morning so I just stuffed some clothes from my closet."

"So is that why you look like you just got eaten by the closet monster?" Keigo asked from behind me. I shrugged.

"I guess so."

"Well, it doesn't matter. It's going to have a lot of mud and grass either way." Renji stated, and then pulled his arm around my shoulders. "Hey Keigo, can we have a minute of privacy?"

Keigo shrugged. "Sure. Just don't be late guys!" Then, he ran off. After he was gone, Renji removed his arm and looked at me.

"Hey, are you ok dude?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Why?"

"Rukia told me-"

"What did Kuchiki tell you?" I started to get frustrated. That girl just doesn't know how to leave someone alone!

"Hey, hey, calm down. She just said that you've been acting weird. And since you two are paired together during training, I thought you might tell me what's going on."

"Everything is fine." I turned away. "Look, lets just head for the fields."

"If it's something about Rukia being a b*tch, then-"

"She's not being a b*tch!" I said, turning to face him. "It's not that! My Mom died Friday, ok? Now can you stop pestering me about it!"

Renji stared at me and I looked down.

"Sorry. My emotions got the best of me."

"No, it's alright." Renji put his hand on my shoulder. "My highest sympathies towards you."

I didn't say anything. Renji was a good friend and I knew he wouldn't say anything. He's not a squealer. But that girl….I had no clue what she was going to do.

XxXxXx

Try-outs came in and I was all dressed for the occasion. While Coach Soifon said it was a little large, I was able to improvise. Tying your shirt corners to make it slightly smaller was perfect for big shirts and to make your outfit look well.

"Alright, all of you, get over here!" Coach yelled, blowing her whistle. I noticed some of the guy freshmen were freaked out. I could only glare at them. Just because Coach Soifon was a female didn't mean anything! Stupid fools…

"Welcome to your first stage of getting into The Shinigamis. Now, to prove all of your worth, I want you to run these fields…FIVE LAPS IN TEN MINUTES! NOW GET RUNNING!"

She blew her whistle again and we all began to run. Of course, I noticed that Ichigo, Renji, Momo, and a few others that were sophomores were in front of everyone else. I assumed these were the veterans of this coach's wrath.

"You better run faster, Rukia!" Momo called out from in front of me. I grunted and ran beside her. She grinned.

"Not bad…" I heard her say under her breath.

10 minutes later, the veterans and I were done while the others were on their last lap. The fields were very large and I was surprised I was able to run 5 laps in 10 minutes. Well, I was out of breath anyways. Momo handed me a water bottle. She was panting and sweating, yet she was still able to talk.

"Heh….Tiring huh?" She asked as she sat next to me. I nodded and took a big drink of the water.

"Don't worry. You get used to it. Coach is very hard, but it pays off. There is a reason why she has many trophies in her office."

I scoffed and continued drinking.

"YOU FOOLS!" Coach Soifon yelled at those who just finished. "YOU CALL YOUR SELF SOCCER PLAYERS? THIS IS TRASH!"

"Coach doesn't want anyone to be a drop-out so she shows her fury now, during try-outs."

I nodded. It was understandable. A few minutes of resting, she called everyone back onto the field.

"Tch, if this is the new batch, then I have a lot of work to do this year." Coach Soifon said, flames in her eyes. "Next is seeing how well you can control a ball. Because of how SLOW you fools were, I'm going to have to…improvise."

I noticed that the veterans had a quick flash of fear in their eyes. Hm, I wonder what's so bad about Coach Soifon improvising something….?

XxXxXx

"Aaah, my feet are burning!" One of the freshmen complained after try-outs were finally over.

"ALL OF YOU! GET OUT OF MY FIELD! THE JUNIORS AND SENIORS WILL BE COMIN HERE AND I DON'T WANT YOU SLOW FOOLS ON MY FIELD! RESULTS WILL BE POSTED NEXT WEEK!" Coach Soifon yelled.

"So that's the wrath of Coach Soifon…" I murmured. Momo chuckled softly.

"Yeah. Even when the others and I are used to it, we're still scared of it."

"I can tell." I replied. Suddenly, Renji put his hand on my head.

"Good job today, Rukia!" He said with a smile. I made a face.

"You smell."

"Eh? Well…YOU DO TOO!"

"So? You smell worse!" I sighed and gave him a small smile. "You did well today, Renji."

"Huh? Wha….Ugh, yeah, thanks…" Renji removed his hand off my head. "Hey, do you want to go to the Urahara Café with me?"

"Sure."

I waved goodbye to Momo as Renji and I walked out of the campus.

"So, what's wrong with Ichigo?" I asked. Renji seemed to ponder that question.

"Nothing. He just woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. People have that sometimes."

"I know you're lying. Ichigo's mom died and he was upset before school started. The question is why was his aura….brighter when first period started."

"So you already know, huh?"

"Yeah."

"Hmph, to think, you only met him last week and you talk like you've known him forever."

I chuckled. "I guess…." I looked up. "I guess it's because he reminds me of Kaien-dono…."

"You really owe him, don't you?"

"Yes. He paid for my admissions when my parents refused to pay for my school. Along with that, he taught me many life-changing lessons."

"He's a good guy."

I nodded and we kept walking. Once at the Urahara Café, I ordered a water bottle and two rice cakes while Renji just ordered a water bottle.

"You really have a sweet tooth, don't you, Rukia?" Renji asked after getting the food and handing it to me. I shrugged and pulled out the rice cake.

"Hey, isn't there a gift store close by?" I asked.

"Yup. It's only 2 stores down to your left." Urahara said. "Out of curiosity, may I ask why you need to know?"

"Um, well, an old friend of mine, Kaien Shiba, is coming and-"

"KAIEN SHIBA?" Yoruichi asked from the kitchen. She opened the door and pushed Urahara aside. "He's here?"

"I guess so…"

"You know a lot of people, Yoruichi-san." Renji said. She smirked.

"Hehe, I've known Kaien for some time. Though…" She made a fist. "He owes me a new gown from last time…"

"What did he do?" I asked.

"Hmph, around 5 years ago I assume. Kaien invited Kisuke and I to a dance in Tokyo. We, of course, accepted. Since it was a generally formal party, I wore my best dress that day. Guess what happened when we got there?"

Renji and I didn't say anything but through a side glance, I noticed Urahara moving away.

"THAT FOOL SPILLED HOT TEA ALL OVER MY GOWN! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? THAT 259,590 YEN DRESS (3,000 dollars) WENT DOWN THE DRAIN!"

"You could have washed it…." I suggested.

"It was a horrible stain and no matter how many times it was put in that d*nm wash, the stain didn't come off."

"We're still friends with Kaien." Urahara noted. "It's just Yoruichi-san will be demanding money from him."

"Or at least a new sexy dress." She said with a sigh. "Sorry about that. Tell Shiba that he owes me."

"S-Sure…"

Kaien Shiba was a well-renowned millionare along with his other two siblings. Actually, he's the youngest millionare in all of Japan.

So you can imagine how difficult it was to find a good present for a millionare…

"If only I had enough money." I said as I looked through the gift store.

"You'll find something…" Renji said but he seemed distracted by something.

"What's wrong?" I asked but as I looked to see what Renji was staring at, I knew exactly why he was distracted. There was a crowd of people and you could hear the words, "Fight!" "Kill that b*st*rd!"

"Stay here." Renji whispered.

"But you don't have your weapon!" I started.

"I have another weapon."

"And that would be?"

He showed his fists and walked out of the store. I glared at Renji, who was running towards the crowd. I wasn't going to watch by like some bystander. I'm a Karakura Ambassador as well. I ran out of the store and followed Renji through the crowd. Once I was able to see what was going on, I saw Ichigo pinning down Grimmjow.

"Ichigo!" Renji yelled. I noticed Ichigo's aura was different again. This time, it wasn't sad or cheerful…but angry, furious, dark.

"D*nm you…" Ichigo whispered. Grimmjow only laughed and punched Ichigo in the face, sending the orange haired back.

"Kurosaki!" I yelled and ran towards him.

XxXxXx

"Sh*t, I told Rukia to stay in the store…" I thought and Grimmjow looked at me.

"So you're that carrot's friend, huh? You better tell him that I'll be coming back for him next time." He said fiercely and stalked off. The crowd dispersed and I went to Rukia's side. She was checking his pulse.

"He's fine…but these bruises and cuts…." She started.

"Lets take him back to Unohana-san."

She nodded and allowed me to pick Ichigo up. Geez, you just had to get into a fight…

XxXxXx

After being checked by Doc. Unohana, it was confirmed that he was going to make a full recovery by this evening. I was so glad. It was weird, but a huge wave of relief spread through me.

Renji escorted me home, but we started arguing over why I appeared. That Renji…I can never understand him…Just like most guys.

Once I arrived home, Kaien-dono opened the door.

"It's good to see you again, Rukia." He said. In a flash, I gave him a tight hug.

"I missed you, Kaien-dono."

"Heh, you still call me 'Kaien-dono'….You really are the same Rukia."

* * *

Note: Finally done with this chapter. Gah, I think my updating streak will end here. I'm going to go through Author's block starting….now. xD So if you have any suggestions for the next chapter, please comment about the suggestion! That would be much helpful. Anyways, please comment and fav/alert. ALWAYS REMEMBER ONEMANGA!


	13. Shattered Heart

Author's note: Hey guys! Well, I've been making a lot of Naruto oneshots (for the Naruto fans) but now it's time to return to the awesome-ness of Under The Stars! Yeah!

Pushing that aside….

I hope you guys are currently enjoying the story! My HitsuxOC story, Ice and Fire Collide, hasn't been doing too well so after a while, I might as well delete it (along with the Soul Eater story). I'll be replacing the HitsuxOC story with a Hitsuhina oneshot. This has yet to be confirmed but until then….It's staying. But what do you care? It's Under The Stars we should be caring about! But it's been getting a lot of good comments and good amount of "hits" that it's staying until the end. LOL. In other news about Under The Stars…I want you guys to realize one major point. Rukia started school on August 25th and it was on a Monday. This chapter starts after a little less than a month later. Yes, about a month has passed. Isn't that shocking? xD

Well, remember to comment and fav/alert!

.: Under The Stars :.

Book 1 – Sophomore

Shattered Heart

Weeks passed. I made the team, along with Momo, Ichigo, and the rest of the sophomores that tried out. The freshmen who tried out, on the other hand, had a down look. Out of the 20 that tried out, only 8 made the team.

"It's hard to stand up to Coach Soifon's standards." Momo explained. "Those guys aren't ready."

Along with making the team, I learned that Hitsugaya Toushiro was among the sophomores that made it. At first, I didn't expect him to be all that until practice. His speed was amazing along with the amount of power he places when he kicks. You can't even touch him when he has the ball in possession! Hm, this guy is something else.

Aside from soccer, I made the martial art team and the gymnastic team. I learned that Coach Soifon was not only the soccer coach, but she was also the gymnastic coach. It was….slightly scary. Also, for the martial art team, it's run by the seniors. So, I learned that Kensei was in charge….Twice as scary….

So far, my school life seemed generally OK. Momo and Rangiku became my closest friends along with Inoue Orihime. I haven't had time to see her since I was busy with other things after school but I found time.

Renji was still my best friend, but I noticed that he was acting a little different. I couldn't tell, but he just was.

Ichigo….That carrot top…..I continue calling him 'Kurosaki' and he calls me 'Kuchiki' but aside from that….I guess we're getting along OK. Well, we're not yet getting along 'swimmingly,' as Rangiku puts it, but we're halfway there I suppose. Training with him has been getting slightly better. We continue to bicker and argue like there's no tomorrow but we get some progress done. So, all in all, I guess we're becoming good friends.

Toushiro…Hm, well, during meetings and other events involving the Karakura Ambassadors, he seems like an OK person. Though, he has a very cold personality and the only person that can really get close to him is Momo. Along with that, he calls everyone by their last name. I have no issue with him calling me Kuchiki but it's very strange. Although, he does have more experience than most of us so I guess he has the right. The only person he calls by their first name is Momo and the juniors and seniors. Rangiku makes fun of him for that but oh well. But if you push that aside, he's pretty decent. The rumors aren't fake….He really is a prodigy.

Aside from school, things in my life are going by well. Kaien-dono is living in his mansion here in Karakura Town and I would visit him whenever I'm free afterschool and on weekends. He would tell me about his "adventures" in America and how it was very different. His English is very fluent now and he has gotten some slangs from them. The reason he returned to Japan was to visit his little sister and brother, Kukaku and Ganju Shiba, and to check on his business. His business you may ask? He, along with his siblings, own the largest dojo in Tokyo and two popular firework companies.

Hisana and Nee-sama have been more protective of me but aside from that, they are happy to know that I've been enjoying my school and Karakura Town.

With everything going by so well, I would later realize that the "happy-go-lucky" feeling that I've had for a few weeks was about to burst.

September 21st…That nice, calm Saturday afternoon started it all.

Rangiku, Momo, and I were leaving the mall after a wonderful time of shopping. Homecoming was in a few days and Karakura Ambassadors were in charge on making the place, well, welcoming. Back in Tsukihime, homecomings were very formal. Well, in Karakura Academy, that was very different. Depending on the theme, it can be so informal, you can just wear jeans, a t-shirt, and sneakers. Of course, the boys didn't want to get themselves into the whole "lets figure out a theme for this!" so it was up to us.

"I still think we should have this HUGE disco ball that lights up different colors!" Rangiku stated.

"I want to have a DJ playing all the hit songs." Momo added. I shrugged.

"Personally, I don't really care."

"Why? This is homecoming, Rukia!" Rangiku said, gaping at me.

"Well, I mean… I'm used to formal things. Not all that."

They both laughed and Rangiku wrapped her arm around my shoulder. "Don't worry, Rukia. The only difference is that THIS homecoming will be much COOLER."

I smiled at her and we continued walking. Our theme was Neon Blast….If you're wondering, it was Rangiku's idea. She states that it would be amazing if people came in with neon colored clothes and/or accessories. Personally, I think that's the strangest idea ever but what am I to judge? I've had formal dances all my school-life.

"So, have you gotten your outfits?" Rangiku asked. Momo and I nodded. Rangiku grinned.

"Perfect. Then we're all prepared then. Tomorrow, we'll start figuring out what to add to make it look seriously neon. Then, on Tuesday, we'll prepare the posters and stamp them around the school. On Wednesday after school, we'll tell the boys to get the food. On Thursday, we'll do final check on everything and then on Friday…" She paused and her smile widened. "IT'S PARTY TIME!"

We laughed at Rangiku's optimism. She was always making us happy.

"A party, huh?"

The three of us stopped.

"Nnoitra…" Rangiku whispered to me. I had seen pictures and incident files about him but I have never met him face to face…

"How come I wasn't invited?" He asked, his footsteps coming closer to us.

"Follow my lead…" Rangiku whispered and the three of us turned to look at him. He was wearing a strange, insect printed t-shirt and slightly torn jeans. His smirk widened when he saw me.

"You're that Kuchiki girl that Grimmjow was talking his loud-a** mouth about." He said, pointed at me. I glared. He's just like him.

Then, he turned to look at Rangiku.

"So, how come I wasn't invited?" He asked again.

"I'm sorry; I don't remember you being part of Karakura Academy." Rangiku replied. Her grip on the bags got tighter.

"Heh, so what?" He started to walk closer to us.

"Look, we're not here to fight, Nnoitra." Momo said sternly, her eyes suddenly turning deathly serious. He grinned.

"But that ain't fun at all, peachy."

I thought Momo was about to lash out but Rangiku quickly stopped her by grabbing onto her arm.

"Don't you have some other fight to get yourself involved with?" Rangiku asked.

"Hm, I think I can fit you three in my schedule."

I knew that Rangiku was trying her best not to start a fight, but it was no use. He wanted to start a fight. Heavens know why but it didn't matter.

Suddenly, he started running towards us, a dagger popping out from his sleeves.

"Crap…" I thought. "He's too fast…"

Just as I thought we were going to get hit, someone blocked the attack. We were all surprised to see who it was…

"Kaien….dono…" I murmured. He had grabbed the hilt of the dagger and was keeping it at a distance where it didn't touch his chest.

"So you're the infamous Kaien Shiba, huh?" Nnoitra asked, suddenly getting agitated. "To think you're here in Karakura…."

Kaien-dono ignored him and slightly turned his head.

"Hurry and get away from here. I'll hold him off."

"But…Kaien-dono-" I started but was cut off by Rangiku grabbing my wrist and pulling me away.

"Rangiku, what are you doing?" I demanded, struggling to let go of her grasp.

"Kaien-san has this under control, Rukia. What are we supposed to do? We don't have our weapons with us and if I'm not mistaken, you don't know how to disarm a person. Kaien-san, on the other hand, probably does! So let him handle this!" Rangiku responded quickly. Momo nodded.

"You need to believe in Kaien-san. He knows what he's doing." Momo added. I looked down.

"_Nnoitra…If you ever face against him, you'll see that his style of fighting is just like Grimmjow." Ichigo said. _

"_Why?" I asked. He shrugged._

"_Not sure. They hang around each other sometimes so I guess that's how it got started."_

"I'm going back." I said. Rangiku and Momo gaped at me.

"What? Without your weapon?" Rangiku asked. I nodded.

"I'll be fine. You just go back to the Urahara Café and get our weapons. I'm going to do what I can to help Kaien-dono."

"Rukia, I know you're a very intelligent person but what you're about to do….It's so stupid!" Momo started. I smiled.

"I know. I was even wondering whether or not I should really do this but….I just have to do this."

"Remember…Nnoitra doesn't have any boundaries. He won't stop until he's beaten you've seen hell in blood form." Rangiku mentioned. I let out a nervous breath.

"Thanks for that information…" I murmured and quickly ran down the sidewalk. I didn't care if Kaien-dono was one of the greatest martial artists that God ever created and placed on planet Earth…It didn't mean he wasn't going to get hurt.

As I ran, I noticed there was a pole that was about my height. It didn't seem to be in use so I decided to "borrow" it. Using my bare-hands against someone with a weapon did seem illogical…Now that I think about it…I shrugged it off and kept my head focused.

I arrived where I last saw Kaien-dono and Nnoitra. They weren't anywhere in sight.

"Where could they be…?" I thought as I scanned the perimeter. I turned to one of the flower stall clerks.

"Did you see two people about to get into a fight?" I asked quickly. The clerk nodded just as quickly.

"They…They went down that ally way…You're not going after them, are you kid?"

I ignored him and quickly went into the ally way the man pointed to. Even with my drive to help Kaien-dono….I felt a lot of butterflies fluttering down in my stomach. The only people I've actually fought in a fight to the…well, death, was Grimmjow and no one else. If only some of the higher up Karakura Ambassadors were around….

XxXxXxX

"Rangiku! Momo! What's wrong?" Renji asked when Momo and I barged into the door, panting.

"Rukia….Rukia is in trouble." I managed to say as I tried to catch my breath. Everything seemed to fall still.

Renji and Ichigo both stood up at the same time.

"I'll go get her." They said in unison. Suddenly, they flashed a look at each other but seemed to shrug it off for the moment as they grabbed their weapons and dashed down the stairs.

"C'mon Rangiku! We need to help too!" Momo exclaimed.

"You two should probably get Unohana-san."

We turned around and saw Urahara walking up. His casual hat was, as always, covering his eyes.

"Why…?" I asked.

"Whatever happens today…Unohana-san can cover it up. Rukia-san's sister is already worried about her well-being and it wouldn't be good if Rukia is hurt."

I sighed. "You have a point, Urahara-san."

"Then we better hurry back to the school." Momo stated. I nodded and followed her down the stairs.

"D*nmitt Rukia….You better be alright…." I thought.

XxXxXxX

"Just great, Kuchiki got herself in trouble." I exclaimed as Renji and I rode down the sidewalk. It was sort of difficult evading people and thinking about Kuchiki AND talking to Renji at the same time…

"This isn't a game, Ichigo. Rukia is in danger and we need to rescue her."

"Yeah, she's the damsel in distress. I get it."

"What's up with you?"

"Why don't you ask Kuchiki? She's always PMS-ing every time I try to talk to her about casual stuff."

He was silent for a moment until he started again. "She's like that to everyone…At first…but there is something about her…."

He paused then let out a sigh. "I doubt it matters to you…."

I didn't say anything and kept my eyes on the sidewalk.

XxXxXx

"Kaien-dono!" I yelled as I ran through the seemingly endless ally way. I stopped running to catch my breath. This was completely useless….I don't see or hear him at all! Just great….

After taking a few moments to finally get a small breather, I saw someone walking out of the corner of the alley way. My eyes widened then turned into a glare.

"Nnoitra…." I murmured. He turned to me and smirked.

"That Shiba guy ain't half bad….Too bad he wasn't strong enough to face me."

I focused my glare at his eyes. I tried reading it.

"You….You didn't dare…." I started but then he disappeared. I gasped and looked around.

"Next time, get a better fighter to come against me!" I heard his voice ring and then…It was gone. I cursed under my breath as I turned the corner. I stopped dead in my tracks.

"K….Kaien….Dono…?" I whispered. Then, I felt tears filter my vision as I screamed, "KAIEN-DONO!"

XxXxXxX

"Did you hear that?" Renji asked. I nodded. It was Kuchiki's voice alright…And it was coming from this alley way. We turned and quickly sped up. When we finally found Kuchiki…

"Oh god…." Renji murmured. I could only look down, trying to erase the image in my mind.

Kaien Shiba….was dead.

* * *

Note: Yay! This chapter is finally done! Well, this is a…very slightly depressing chapter. Erm….I have nothing much to say about that. Though, I'd like to hear about what you guys think.

Oh, by the way, my school has finally started and…well….I think you know the drill to that….Yup, slower updates. I know, I know, it's sucky and stupid and whatever but don't worry…Book 1 is closer to the end then you think so…But hey, after book 1, I'll be starting book 2! Yes!

Ok, well, please comment and fav/alert! Love you guys!


	14. You Know Me

Author's note: Yo! It's been a while, hasn't it guys? Well, I'm still alive and everything! If you didn't know, I've been creating oneshots on my free time since it's faster to do. But hey, I haven't neglected Under The Stars! NEVER! Hehehe, ok, so….Last chapter…I know you guys are discouraged about Kaien dying (heck, he didn't get enough air time! T^T I don't think Kaien-dono likes me now) but if Kaien stayed, then it would three dudes in Rukia's face! Which is very annoying if you ask me (And I don't think Rukia likes too many guys around him). Anyways, maybe THIS chapter will be better for you Ichiruki fans! Remember to comment and fav/alert!

.: Under The Stars :.

Book 1 - Sophomore

You know Me

"R….Rukia…." Renji said slowly as he started to reach towards Kuchiki. She got furious and slapped his hand away.

"LEAVE ME ALONE!" She yelled, tears flowing down like a waterfall. Even when she was crying, her glare was still genuine.

"Rukia, if we don't get out of here soon, the police will be here." Renji whispered. Kuchiki seemed agitated by this.

"I….don't…..care!" She stuttered, trying to stay calm. "I'm not….leaving Kaien-dono…."

"It's alright."

We turned around and saw Unohana-san coming towards us, with Rangiku and Momo following her. Rangiku and Momo's eyes showed shock but Unohana-san was calm.

"I will take care of it." Unohana-san said quietly. She moved passed us and towards Kaien.

"What are…going to do…?" Kuchiki asked, slowly lifting her head. Unohana-san took out a liquid from her coat pocket and placed it on the worst wound that Kaien had, a stabbed wound at his chest.

"Unfortunately, there is no way I can cover up this degree of murder." Unohana-san said quietly. "But I can at least clean the blood to some extent."

"Wait-" Kuchiki was about to say something when we heard police sirens.

"Sh*t, they're coming." I cursed and picked up Kuchiki without her consent.

"Go." Unohana-san whispered. We all nodded, but I could feel Kuchiki's punches on my back. Rangiku handed me a rope.

"We'll scale the wall." She stated. I gave her a look.

"But what if this…er…" Rangiku gave me a look that forced me to change my words. "What if Rukia falls?"

"Then I'll be behind you." Renji said and smirked. "I don't trust you with her, anyhow."

I sighed. Whatever….

We attached the grappler onto the end of our rope and threw it up. Once it was attached to the side of the building, we quickly climbed up.

"Kaien..dono…." I heard Kuchiki whisper. She had stopped hitting me once I started to climb up but her "aura", at least I think that's what she calls it, was different. From sadness, to fury, to…nothing….

We all managed to get to the top.

"What about Unohana-san?" Momo asked.

"She'll be fine." Renji stated. "We just need to get as far away from here as possible."

We all agreed to that and ran/jumped to various buildings. Finally, we arrived at the Urahara Café.

"You can put me down, Kurosaki." I heard Kuchiki barely whisper. I was wary about following that order but I decided she was OK for now. I put her down but as I looked at her face, I noticed there was something different about her. Maybe her beliefs in "aura" and crap might be true after all….

"I need to go home…" She murmured.

"I'll take you home." Renji offered. Kuchiki didn't say anything but when Renji reached out to her, she didn't snap like a vicious monster. Instead, she allowed Renji to touch her shoulder and lead her home.

"The poor girl." Rangiku said.

"I feel so bad for her…." Momo added, placing a hand over her chest and looking down. I stayed quiet. Something is off about her. I couldn't put it but….something was very, VERY off. I turned to Rangiku.

"Hey, what's Kuchiki's address?"

"Wha? Why do you want to know?" Rangiku asked back. I sighed.

"I can't visit my training partner in her time of sadness?" I asked in reply. She tried to read my expression.

"Look, if you make her feel even worse, I swear to you I'm going to kick your sorry a**, Ichigo."

"I bet you could, Rangiku." I said without adding sarcasm. She looked into her backpack, took out a notebook, and ripped out a sheet of paper. Then she grabbed a pen from one of the pockets and started writing the address.

Once she handed me the paper, she glared at me.

"You've been warned verbally, Ichigo." Rangiku said, pointing at my chest but stared right at my eyes. Momo placed a hand on Rangiku's hand.

"Lets go ahead and go now, Rangiku. It's been a long day and we have to start discussing about homecoming."

Rangiku groaned but nodded.

"Yeah."

Momo waved towards me and walked the other direction with Rangiku by her side. I looked at the sheet.

_Mashiba District; 12__th__ Street; Apartment 12B; Room 25_

I was surprised how close she lived to the Academy. I was about two districts away from her. I looked around.

"I'm at the Mitsumiya District…." I sighed with some relief. Her district was close by….

XxXxXxXx

I finally arrived to Kuchiki's apartment. I looked at my watch and groaned. It was 7:30 so I only had 30 minutes to get back home without my Dad kicking my face like a soccer ball. Perfect…

I quickly walked up and found the apartment door 25.

"Should I really do this, Ichigo?" I thought. "She has been a pain in the a**…."

But I knew something was different about Kuchiki so….

I decided to go for it and quickly knocked on the door. The door opened and someone who looked exactly like Kuchiki answered. She smiled.

"Good evening." The woman said politely. I bowed.

"Good evening, ma'am." I straightened. "Is Kuchiki Rukia here?"

"Yes, she is. She's in her room right now. Are you one of her friends?"

I gave her a small nod. "Yes ma'am."

She smiled with satisfaction and allowed me to go inside.

"Did, erm, Renji tell you anything?" I asked out of curiosity.

"No…Why do you ask?"

"Nothing."

I walked up the small stairs and saw a door that had a sign, saying "Rukia's room." How helpful.

"Alright, Ichigo, you got this. Just tell her, 'something's wrong with you' and hopefully she'll answer…." I thought but realized it would fail completely. Suddenly, I heard a crash from inside. My eyes widened and quickly opened the door. Kuchiki was on the floor with bunches of stuff scattered around her. Then I noticed broken glasses and ripped sheets of paper. She noticed me and glared.

"What are you doing here?" She demanded as she scrambled up. I put my hands in my pockets and pretended to not see her.

"Just visiting…"

"Excuse me, where did you learn where I LIVE?"

"Rangiku…."

She stayed silent and turned away.

"Get out."

I shrugged. "Nah."

She whirled around and I saw something in her hand as she did so. While she threw the shard with lightning speed….I was faster. I grabbed the shard before it hit anywhere and tossed it away.

"What's your problem, Kuchiki?" I asked.

"My problem? Wanna know my problem, Kurosaki?" She asked, raising her voice. I kept my eyes on her but closed the door so that her guardian wouldn't hear us.

"My problem is JOINING Ambassadors in the first place!" She stated.

"Oh, so you think Kaien's death is BECAUSE of Ambassadors! Is that it?"

She made a fist. "Yes! That's exactly it!"

"STOP BLAMING THINGS THAT DIDN'T DO ANYHTHING!"

She withdrew and blinked at me with surprise.

"Wh…What…."

"That's right. You're only blaming Ambassadors cause you're in denial. It wasn't Ambassador's fault-"

"It was my fault…." Kuchiki suddenly said. My eyes widened.

"No, it isn't, Kuchiki! Stop talking bullsh*t!"

"Don't you see, Kurosaki? If….If I wasn't so helpless, Kaien-dono wouldn't have died."

"Kuchiki, stop talking like that. You're a strong young woman, ok? Even IF you were able to fight back, Kaien would still try to stop the fig-"

"I SHOULD HAVE BEEN BY HIS SIDE BUT INSTEAD…I RAN AWAY! I WAS FOOLISH, KUROSAKI! I WAS OBSCURED BY FEAR WHEN I SHOULD HAVE PREDICTED KAIEN-DONO'S END AND DONE SOMETHING TO PREVENT IT!"

She looked around and found another broken shard. She picked it up…Yet this time, I knew for a fact she wasn't going to throw it at me. I lunged towards her and grabbed the wrist that had the hand holding the shard.

"Calm down….Kuchiki…." I whispered. She said nothing. I didn't even see tears. She just stared at the shard.

"Let go of my wrist, Kurosaki." She murmured.

"I'd be causing the death of you if I do something like that." I replied quietly.

"Exactly."

"Don't be stupid."

"I'm not. I'm being quite logical."

"Logical my a**."

"You lost someone close to you…Now I've lost someone close to me. You should know the feeling as well as anyone in Ambassadors."

I paused. She was right….And with that, I knew how to help her.

"I agree…..I do know you better than anyone in Ambassadors. But let me tell you something, Kuchiki..There are times where you want to let go of life, as if it's your fault that the person close to you has disappeared from your daily happiness but….Would Kaien want you to do suicide just because he tried to help you? And….What about your guardians that's watching after you? Wouldn't they feel like it's their fault that they didn't keep an eye on you? It's a cycle…the cycle of death. You say it's your fault that Kaien died…well, if you kill yourself now, more people close to you would die. At least with one person….you can learn to cope….you can learn to live life without regrets."

She started shaking and soon, she finally let go of the shard and hugged me. I heard her crying. This wasn't what I had expected but….

I slowly placed my hand over her head and smoothed her hair. I guess she wasn't half-bad after all….

* * *

Author's note: I know this a very short chapter. But I wanted to update asap and stuff! So, yeah, here we are! xD A little fluff/depressing moment in the end but….It's still ok, right? Anyhow, please comment and fav/alert! THANKS GUYS! *hands chappy cookie*


	15. Homecoming?

Author's note: Aw, wasn't the last chapter slight interesting? Haha, sorry if it was short though. When you're time pressured to get the chapter published, it's very….agitating. Speaking of time-pressure, I despise time-tests now. I mean, WHY DO YOU TIME PEOPLE WHEN THEY'RE TESTING? Urgh, stupid college level courses.  
Anyways, my school is having it's homecoming soon so i decided to make a chapter about it stuff. So, I hope you enjoy. Remember to comment and fav/alert!

.: Under The Stars :.

Book 1 – Sophomore

Homecoming?

I slowly opened my eyes.

"What….what happened?" I murmured as I got up. Then, as if someone slammed the back of my head, all of the memories from last evening wacked my senses. I slapped my forehead.

"Oh my god…." I said. I was being SUCH a pathetic PANSY! Especially towards KUROSAKI! What am I? 6? H*ll no!

I looked at my watch. 8:05 AM…September 22nd….Sunday….I got out of my bed and walked towards the closet. After I had cried my stupid tears out last night, I had fallen unconscious because I was SUCH a DAMSEL IN DISTRESS. I rubbed my temples as I chose my attire. I didn't need to be saved. I deserved to die and yet that….that…..CARROT came to the rescue and ugh…

I picked out a white polo and jeans then threw them on the bed. If I even SEE his face again…

XxXxXxXx

I groaned as I felt the ray of sunshine hit my eyelids.

"Sh*t…." I murmured. As my senses grew together, I could hear my Dad and Karin arguing downstairs. Finally, I sat up and rubbed the back of my head. I felt like a drunken person even though I don't drink. Yesterday was like a huge blur of events passing by you in a blink of an eye. It was hard to remember until….Along with my senses, the fragments of yesterday became, unfortunately, clearer. The list of events in order:

Kuchiki falls unconscious right after I think she's a decent person.

I carry her, bridal style, to her bed.

I clean the mess.

I tell Kuchiki's, er, sister I think, that everything is fine.

I go home and try to pretend NONE of that EVER happened.

"Yeah…." I murmured to myself. "That didn't….go as planned…."

I felt my cheeks get hot. Kuchiki actually looked pretty…cute when she was asleep…

"Gah!" I placed my hands over my face. "I didn't think that….I didn't think that…."

I decided to go and get breakfast. But I swear if I see Kuchiki's face again….

XxXxXxXx

"Good morning, Rukia." I turned to see Nii-sama sitting on the table, eating breakfast. I smiled.

"Good morning, Nii-sama." I said and kissed him on the forehead. He nodded and continued eating. I took my seat and Hisana laid my plate in front of me.

"Top of the morning to you, Rukia." She said cheerfully. I chuckled.

"'Top of the morning,' Nee-san." I repeated.

"Are you feeling ok today?"

I blinked. Did Kurosaki tell her?

"Erm…decent." I replied. She nodded.

"Alrighty then. Good to hear. Now eat your breakfast! Matsumoto-san called and said that she wanted to see you."

"Oh, well, ok." I said. Just as Nii-sama picked up the paper, his eyes showed surprise but his face, well, it was neutral (as always).

"Hisana, Rukia…" He started. Hisana turned around and went behind him.

"What's wro….Oh my god…." She murmured with horror as she placed her mouth over her mouth. "Sh…Shiba-san…."

I bit my lip. They finally knew.

Nii-sama placed the paper down and rubbed his temples.

"To think Kaien would die that easily."

"May I see the paper?" I asked. He nodded and I quickly took it and stared at the article.

"…_.Yesterday afternoon, the body of Shiba Kaien was found in an alleyway between the Suki Flower Store and Naru's Book Store. The fact of murder is obvious but investigators are continuing to search for evidence to bring the person who killed the multi-millionaire to justice. _

'_I swear we will do whatever it takes to bring that murderer to justice.' Police Chief Ajibana stated in an interview._

'_When we learn who this person, this MURDERER, is…I swear I'm going to kick his - and end his existence RIGHT THEN AND THERE!' Ms. Shiba, Kaien's younger sister, stated…."_

I gulped. So Unohana-san was able to…get rid of evidence that Nnoitra killed Kaien-dono….But…

Suddenly, the doorbell rang. I slowly got up and opened the door. It was Rangiku.

"Hey, are you alright?" She whispered. I nodded.

"I'm better now…but…" I pointed behind me to show Nii-sama and Hisana showing their despair over Kaien-dono's death.

"Oh, so they read the paper…." She said. "Well….at least they didn't watch the news."

"Why?"

"Well, I guess it's better to learn through words than images…Lets just put it that way."

I didn't say anything.

"Ah, well, erm…." Rangiku started. "To get out of this really, REALLY awkward topic, we have an Ambassador's meeting."

I gaped at her. "What?"

"Psh, don't gape at me. It was Shinji's idea so….Don't worry, I thought it was totally BS but-"

"I need to stay here and pretend that I'm in deathly shock about Kaien-dono's death." I whispered. "If I don't, they'll think something's up."

She thought about what I had said. "Hm, you do have a point there, Rukia. Hm, fine. I'll just fill you in on the on-goings at the meeting tomorrow, is that cool?"

"Yeah."

"Oh, and guess what?"

"Er…What?"

"Tomorrow's homecoming!"

"TOMORROW NIGHT?"

"Sh! Don't say so loudly! But yeah. It was moved from Friday to Monday."

"Why?"

"Dunno. But it'll be epic!"

"But…but…I don't have a dress or…or…"

"Don't worry, don't worry. Relax girl, everything's going to be perfectly sane all thanks to Madam Matsumoto Rangiku!"

I raised an eyebrow.

"Without Momo's assistance?"

"Oh, she's included but it wouldn't sound cool if I added her."

I lightly punched her in the arm.

"You're something else, Rangiku."

She grinned. "Aw, thanks. Anyways, I'll see you tomorrow, ok?"

"Ok."

I closed the door and walked over to Nee-sama and Hisana.

"Who was that?" Nee-sama asked.

"Matsumoto." I replied truthfully. "She was giving us condolences about Kaien-dono's death."

"I hope the Shiba's are doing well." Hisana said. "Byakuya, we should go and see them."

He nodded.

"Rukia, do you wish to accompany us?" He asked. I looked down.

"Honestly, I'd rather stay here….I want some time alone." Ah, my acting skills are finally coming into place.

"I completely understand your situation, Rukia." Hisana said and embraced me tightly. I "sobbed" and hugged her back.

"I'll…I'll miss….Kaien-dono." I replied.

After the two got dressed and left the house, I smiled to myself. I didn't think that would work but hey, they took the bait.

They wouldn't be back until evening and it was still morning. So, I decided to go out and figure out my dress. I wasn't going to let RANGIKU of all people choose MY dress.

XxXxXxXxX

"Tsk, tsk, tsk Nnoitra." I said when I found him leaning on his locker. He wore torn black pants and a red insect designed shirt. How typical. He glared at me as I moved forward.

"What do you want, Nel?" He asked. I smiled.

"Well, I was going to check my locker cause I left my ipod in there when I saw you."

"No, there's something else you want to say to me."

My smile widened. "Why would you expect that of me, Nnoitra?" I asked innocently.

"Shut your f*cking mouth."

I sighed. "Crude as always."

Then, I leaned beside him.

"You didn't have to kill him, ya know."

"Shut up."

"I mean, you're just going to cause more disruption for our school."

"DO YOU KNOW HOW TO SHUT UP?"

I shrugged. "I guess not."

"Get out of my face before I f*cking kill YOU."

"First, I'm not in your face. Second, you need to chill out."

I got off from the lockers and started walking away. That Nnoitra….

XxXxXxXx

As I walked into the mall, I saw many girls and guys going in and out of stores. I sighed.

"Looks like I'm a little late." I thought sadly. The first store that was designed for homecomings/proms had no gowns available. The second store didn't have any either. Then the third, fourth, fifth….

I was about lose all hope of getting a gown when I saw a small store that sold general dresses. I entered it and I noticed that there were prom dresses.

"Good afternoon, Miss." The store lady said. "I'm-"

When I turned to see who it was, I gasped.

"Orihime?" I asked.

"Rukia?" She responded then smiled. "Rukia!"

She quickly hugged me to the point where I was running out of air. I tapped her back and she finally let go.

"You work here?" I asked.

"Part-time." She said confidently.

"Awesome."

"Are you looking for a prom dress, too?"

"Er, yeah. Do you have one that might look good on me?"

"OF COURSE!" She gleamed. "Ok, check this dress out!"

Orihime grabbed my wrist and pulled me to the center of the store. There were 5 gowns in display.

"Ok, so, these dresses came about a week ago! So, it's a bit expensive but I think it's worth it."

I nodded and stared at the dresses. Two were white, one was blue, one was red, and the other was black. As I looked at each dress intently, I finally figured which one I would wear. I picked one of the white dresses.

"That one." I said, smiling.

"Good choice." Orihime replied. "Want me to wrap it up for you?"

"Yeah."

The dress, reaching down to the floor, was a white strapless gown. A sash was wrapped around the waist line and tied into a bow in the front. It was simple, but elegant. Once Orihime came back with the gown wrapped in a protector, I looked at the dress.

"So, how much is it?" I asked cautiously, bracing myself for the extremely large amount of money that was going to be said.

"Erm….It is….Oh, it's 25,000 yen (around 300 dollars)." She said. I winced. I knew that was coming.

"Wow….that IS expensive."

"Well, most dresses are like, 42,230 yen (500 dollars) or more! So, this is sorta cheap."

I groaned as I looked into my wallet. "I only have 21,000 (around 250 dollars) yen."

Orihime looked down then, as if she had an idea, she looked back up with a smile.

"I'll use my 4,000 yen to pay for the rest of your dress!"

"Ah, Orihime, you don't have to do that!"

"No, it's ok. I get paid 1,000 yen a week so it's ok."

I bit my lip. "But…"

"C'mon, Rukia, this is your first dance in Karakura Academy! Personally, I want to make sure it's super duper special!"

"But to help buy me a dress?"

"Is just one way of making sure you have a super duper special time! And the first step is getting a dress!"

I smiled and awkwardly hugged Orihime (it's over a counter, so of course it's awkward). "Thanks so much, Orihime! I owe you."

She shook her head. "I'm just being generous."

After paying for the dress and saying goodbye to Orihime, I left the mall feeling a little guilty. Even though it was a generous act, it didn't seem right that she had to pay for MY dress. Then, I felt my cell vibrate in my pocket. I stuffed my hand into my pocket and grabbed my phone. It was a text from Rangiku.

"_Where are you?"_

I quickly texted back, "I'm at the mall."

Then, a few moments after I replied to the text, I got another text by her.

"_YOU'RE WHERE?"_

Wow, she sounded like Hisana in a bad mood. I replied, "Read the previous message."

Then, there was nothing. I had a really bad feeling….As I walked out of the mall parking lot, I saw Rangiku running towards me. My eyes widened as she glomped me in the non-loving way.

"Ow…" I murmured. Thankfully, I landed on my back so the dress was squished between me and Rangiku.

"WHY THE H*LL ARE YOU AT THE MALL?" Rangiku demanded.

"Er, to get a dress?" I replied, slightly innocently.

"I WAS GOING TO GET YOU A DRESS! YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO BUY ONE!" Then, she gasped. "YOU'RE DOUBTING ME DRESS-PICKING ABILITIES, AREN'T YOU?"

"N-N-No! Of course not, Rangiku! Personally, my fashion sense is so dull compared to yours! But…I felt like choosing my own dress. I didn't want you to waste your money on something as fancy as a dress."

She scoffed and stood up. "Fine."

There was an awkward silence.

"So…" I stated. "How was the meeting?"

Rangiku frowned and shifted her eyes. "It's not good…."

I groaned. "C'mon, just walk with me back to my house and you can tell me all about it…"

* * *

Author's note: Alrighty, well, this is a short chapter for a long hiatus. :( sorry if I haven't updated in a long time guys! I'm really busy and stuff. DID YOU GUYS READ CHAPTER 423 OF BLEACH? Waaah, Ichiruki moment! So saaad! :( Anyways, remember to comment and fav/alert! Thanks!


	16. Homecoming part 2

Author's note: Waaah, chapter 14 SUCKED (in my opinion). I should have done better! So, I'm going to revive myself today with chapter 15! ^^ I promise this one will have more suspense and really epic stuff! If it doesn't, then you can throw these chappy cookies that I'm giving you IF you comment and fav/alert. :) Oh, and Happy Halloween for those who celebrate the holiday! :)

.: Under The Stars :.

Book 1 – Sophomore

Homecoming part 2

"So, that's what happened, huh?" I said after Rangiku finished telling about the meeting. She didn't say anything as a reply as we continued walking.

"Is the decision final?" I asked after moments of silence.

"Yeah, it is. Shinji really wants to cancel homecoming this year."

I sighed and looked at my dress that Orihime took the trouble of helping me buy.

"I still don't understand it." I stated. "Why would Shinji cancel homecoming just because…."

My voice trailed away, not wanting to finish the sentence. Thankfully, Rangiku caught it in time.

"He said that those Hueco Mundo guys could crash the party."

"Why can't he just MOVE the date?"

"I dunno. You gotta ask him for yourself."

I groaned. Shinji was harder to talk to than a rock. A few minutes later, we arrived at the Urahara Café.

"Seriously?" Rangiku asked.

"Yes, seriously." I replied coolly. "We're NOT cancelling the homecoming dance."

As we walked in, Rangiku had a scandalous grin on her face. "Ooooh….Is it because you and Ichigo go comfy with each other and-"

I turned around and showed my disgusted face.

"Rangiku….Kurosaki is just a training partner. Nothing more or less than that."

"Hm, ok~" She replied cheerfully. Oh how I hated that tone when it came out of HER mouth. We walked upstairs and opened the door. Shinji was sitting on the couch, looking at his iPad. Along with him, Momo, Renji and…and…

I looked away.

"Why did Kurosaki have to be here, d*nmitt?" I thought.

"Yo, Kuchiki." I turned my head and noticed that Shinji had looked up. "Where did you go?"

"I was busy." I replied calmly. "Rangiku told me everything. You can't cancel homecoming."

Shinji shrugged. "Sorry, your say in this isn't valid since you weren't at the meeting."

"Even if I'm a member of the Ambassadors?"

"Yup."

"I can go to Headmaster Yamamoto and-"

Shinji laughed. "Yeah right! That old man doesn't want homecoming period! But because I have a say in the going-on of the school, he can't do anything. He's f*cking happy that there isn't homecoming."

"Then….what if we did a secret homecoming?"

This seemed to perk Shinji's interest, but only a little bit.

"What are you thinking Kuchiki?"

"Yeah, what are you thinking about?" Kurosaki asked, suddenly coming in into the conversation.

"No one was talking to you, Kurosaki." I snapped.

"Doesn't matter." He replied shortly, leaning on the table. I sighed.

"Ok, well, what if we just rent a venue or something. It can be completely secret. Only certain students can enter and all that. It doesn't have to be at the school. Moreover, if all of us are at the homecoming, then we can easily fight, if necessary, as well as bring the students out of the place."

Shinji grunted. "It would lead to a lot of paperwork and sh*t….I mean, that's a good idea, Kuchiki but still. I'm not into the whole paperwork…"

"Then I can help you." I said confidently. Everyone in the room, including Shinji, had their eyes widened tenfold.

"Wait…did you just say that you'd help me….with any paperwork….?" Shinji stuttered surprisingly.

"Yes. Honestly, I want my first homecoming here in Karakura Academy to be amazing. I refuse to let it end just because of the incident."

XxXxXxX

I stared at Kuchiki. She's had a strong vibe radiating from her. She really wanted this homecoming to go all out. But I noticed that she wavered slightly when she stated 'because of the incident.'

"Well, alright then." Shinji stated, getting up. "I'll see what I can do, Kuchiki. But if I got paperwork, you better do it for me."

She nodded. "Fine by me."

"YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU'RE GETTING YOURSELF INTO!" Rangiku exclaimed. Kuchiki shrugged.

"I've written 5 essays in one day. I think signing papers isn't that bad."

I raised an eyebrow. 5 essays? In one day? I wondered if that was even possible….Suddenly, she turned to face me, her glare set.

"We haven't trained yet, Kurosaki. It's been about 3 or so days of no training. I feel like I'm lagging."

"So? Lag all you want."

Suddenly, she got on a chair and stomped her foot ontop of my head. "GET YOUR LAZY A** AND START 'TRAINING' ME!"

"Aw, d*nm! If you give me a concussion, then I seriously WON'T train you!"

She removed her foot from my head and I straightened my back.

"Geez, you're like f*cking bipolar."

"What the h*ll is that supposed to mean?" She asked harshly. Suddenly, we both became quiet and we shifted our eyes. I assumed that she was thinking the same thing…Last night's awkward event. Renji, Momo, and Rangiku gave us a look.

"Er, ahem, well, lets get going, Kurosaki." Kuchiki said as she quickly walked out of the room. I followed her down the stairs up until Renji stopped me.

"Ichigo," He whispered, his tone serious. "If you did something to Rukia…"

"I didn't do anything, Renji." I replied. "You can have my word on that."

He didn't let go of my shoulder for a few moments but finally, he slowly released his grip. Noticing the tension, I quickly removed myself from the hallway.

XxXxXxX

"You jealous?"

I turned around and saw Rangiku walking down the stairs, her smirk slapped on her face.

"What the h*ll are you talking about?" I asked.

"C'mon red pineapple. You like Rukia but you're just jealous that Ichigo is spending more time with her than you are."

"Stop talking BS, Rangiku."

"Why don't you."

We were both silent for a moment.

"If you really want to get to her," Rangiku started. "You should go ask her to homecoming."

I scoffed. "Rukia wouldn't want to go with me."

"And why is that?"

"Since the day I met her, she has issues with guys. I don't know why, but she just does. Also, she's been going to an all girl's school since forever. She wouldn't be used to the guy-girl thing. I want her to be happy."

"Then wouldn't she be happy if she went out with you?"

I stayed silent. While I didn't want to admit it, Rangiku was right.

XxXxXx

"Why do you want to train so badly, Kuchiki?" Kurosaki asked. I sighed.

"I thought I already told you, Kurosaki. I feel like I'm lagging."

"Hmph…I bet the only reason why you'd say that is because you're getting fatter."

I whirled around and kicked him in the gut, forcing him to bend down and groan.

"Sh*t, Kuchiki…" I heard him curse under his breath. I scoffed.

"I told you my reason so you better leave it as it is or I'll make sure you won't wake up the next morning."

"And I assume that's a threat."

"Yes, it is. Now stop your grumbling."

We finally arrived at the old building. Once inside, I immediately grabbed the wooden swords and threw one at Kurosaki. He caught it and we walked towards the middle of the ring.

"Look, Kuchiki…if it was about the incident."

I pointed the wooden blade at him. "I don't want to hear a single word about that, got it Kurosaki?"

He sighed. "Fine, whatever." We stared at each other for a moment until Kurosaki got into fighting stance. "But how's this…if I win this match, then I get to ask you one question."

"And if I win, you do what I say for a month."

"Hm, that doesn't seem like a fair deal, especially since it deals with you, Kuchiki…."

"Fine, two weeks."

"….."

"One week?"

"Ok, that seems fair."

I smiled with satisfaction and shifted into a proper stance.

"Prepare to taste defeat, Kuchiki." He stated. I smirked.

"Not unless you taste it first."

We dashed towards each other….

XxXxXxXx

"Hinamori, where are you taking me?" I asked, annoyance levels increasing.

"Oh, Shiro-chan, you never get out of the house. Sometimes you need to relax and let the wind take you away!" Hinamori replied, smiling.

"I was doing HOMEWORK."

"Well, you can do that later."

We kept on walking until we reached the small waterfall. Finally, she let go of my wrist.

"Now can you explain?"

She walked a few inches away then turned to face me, her face shining.

"Shiro-chan…..y'know homecoming is coming up…."

"Yeah? And?"

"Well…..I was just wondering if you're going."

I sighed. "I wasn't planning to, Hinamori. Because it's on a Monday-"

"Would you like to go with me to Homecoming?"

There was a silence between us. My eyes widened with surprise as Hinamori looked down.

"I…was hoping you could be my date to Homecoming."

"Date?"

"Y'know, a friendly date."

"Hm…."

"Please, shiro? You're like a little hermit crab. You stay in your shell too long."

I groaned. "Hinamori…."

When I looked up, her eyes were wide like a puppy. I scowled.

"Hinamori…" Finally, I sighed. "Alright, alright. I'll go to homecoming with you."

She grinned and happily hugged me.

"THANK YOU SO MUCH, SHIRO-CHAN!"

XxXxXxXx

Kurosaki stood on top of me, his wooden blade touching my chin. His normal scowl was set on his face.

"I win, Kuchiki."

I grimaced. "D*nm it…."

He removed the blade and moved away from me as I got up. I brushed some dust off my jeans and put my blade down.

"Alright Kurosaki. I'll hand it to you….You're strong." I said bluntly. "Now what's your question?"

He looked at me intently. "Well, I was wondering if-"

Before he could finish, Renji appeared through the door, his face full of determination.

"R-Renji?" I stammered suddenly, turning around. Kurosaki was also caught off guard.

"Renji?" Kurosaki asked. "What are you doing here?"

Once Renji caught his breath, he smirked. "I wanted to ask Rukia if she wanted to go to homecoming with me."

XxXxXx

I stared at Renji for what seemed to be a long time. He was full of determination and spirit. He really wanted Kuchiki to go to homecoming as his date….

XxXxXx

I laughed. "Renji, what are you thinking in your head?"

Renji's eyes widened. "Wh…What?"

I shook my head. "I'm not going with anyone to homecoming, no matter what he would say to persuade me otherwise."

Renji looked down. "Oh…."

I sighed. "Don't be so down on yourself, Renji. No one has asked me but you. So I am very happy that you did so. But you should know me by now. I refuse to go out with any boy."

Renji stifled up a smile. "Yeah. You're right….I can't believe I forgot all about it. Sorry."

I frowned. "I told you to not be so down on yourself."

Suddenly, Kurosaki walked past me. "Kuchiki, training's done. Good work."

"Eh? Wait, Kurosaki, you wanted to ask me-"

"Nah, I change my mind."

The next day, I met with Shinji afterschool.

"Hey, Kuchiki." Shinji greeted with his strange smile. "You ready to finish this last batch of paperwork?"

"D*nm, you wasted my study hall all for those stacks." I grumbled.

"Hey, hey, I thought you were cool with all of it."

"Yeah, I was. But I have a test in two days and-"

"Ah, who gives a d*nm? Just study tomorrow or something."

I sighed. Men, boys, males….ugh, they're so immature no matter what age they hit. I sat down behind his desk and took the first sheet of paper while Shinji sat on the couch in front of the desk.

"So, got a date, Kuchiki?" He asked casually.

"Nope." I said, signing my signature and moving on to the next sheet.

"Really? Hm, so you really are new to all of this."

"What of it?" I kept signing the papers, not daring to look up.

"Well, if you don't got a date, you're deemed a loser all year. The only way to redeem your loser name is to get a date the next year."

"Hm, well, I don't mind." I stated too bluntly then I wanted. "It'll keep other stupid people from getting in my way every other day trying to get homework answers."

"You really are old-fashioned, huh, Kuchiki?"

"That's how I was raised up. And I have no arguments there."

There was a nice silence except for the sound of my writing.

"How's your brother-in-law, Byakuya?" Shinji asked, the word 'casual' didn't even fit his laid-back tone on how he directed my brother. But even with that, I didn't stop writing.

"He's fine." I replied.

"You're really boring, Kuchiki. Just like Byakuya. If only you'd be more like Hisana-san."

I sighed. "When all else fails."

Another beautiful silence. I took the quick silence to sign the last sheets and put my pen down.

"Done." I said triumphantly. "I'm off, Shinji."

"Aw, really?"

"Stop acting weak, d*nm you." I snapped, grabbed my bag, and walked out.

XxXxXx

"Hm…"

I got up and looked at the stack that Kuchiki signed.

"So, she's the child of prophesy?"

My eyes widened and I spun around. A young teen girl was squatting at the behind the window. Her long green hair was put into a ponytail. For once, I thanked God that she was wearing jeans.

"N-Nel?" I stammered but quickly resumed my posture. "Nel, what the h*ll are you doing?"

"Oh, just checking out the Academy."

"You're banned to be even two meters of the gateway."

"That was LAST year, Shinji, remember?"

I sighed. "Whatever. What do you really want? Unless you want to screw up everything, then get the h*ll out."

"That's so mean, Shinji. And I helped your Ambassadors for a long time."

"Nel…"

"Alright, alright, I just wanted to tell you that I was taken out of the League about a week ago."

I made a fist. "What?"

"Aizen must have figured out that I was helping you guys…."

"The others?"

"I doubt they know my real identity yet…."

"Good."

"But here." She took out a sheet of paper from her pocket. I quickly opened the window and took it.

"What's this?" I asked.

"It's some information I got before being forced into exile."

"Exile isn't the right term to put it but…" I thought and started scanning the paper. "Hm…."

"I hope it'll be to some use."

"Yeah, I hope so too." I murmured. "Good work, Nel. To think you'd be a trusty ally in this."

She grinned. "Well, I'm glad to be one myself."

"I got one last thing to ask you, Nel…."

XxXxXxXx

The night of homecoming finally came. The venue was a large mansion and behind it was a small lake. The mansion was hidden by beautiful trees and bushes. The gates were locked and only students with the pass and student password could enter. The Ambassadors were ordered to be at the venue a few hours early to do a few last touches and so forth. Of course, Rangiku gladly took role of being leader.

"Alright, we need plates and napkins on table 15, 20, and 31. C'mon people! Make things happen!" Rangiku yelled as the sophomore group ran to almost every inch of the large room.

"Yo, Shinji! Where's the DJ person you were telling me all about?" Rangiku asked.

"Ugh, she'll be c'mon soon. Just chill out, Rangiku…" Shinji muttered.

"Rangiku, we need time to get into our gowns." Momo stated.

"Don't worry. We'll have time! But we need to finish these minor details."

"Who knew Rangiku was a perfectionist…" I thought.

"RUKIA!" I blinked and turned to see Rangiku grinning at me. "Could you make sure the stage is all set for the dance?"

"Ah…sure…" I said. I walked to the middle of the room and checked the maintenance of the floor.

"Everything is at normal level." I thought as I wrote it down. After writing down all of the levels, I gave it to Rangiku. She grinned.

"Perfect." She exclaimed with optimism.

"Hey, Rangiku." Shinji yelled. "The DJ is here."

The DJ had her face covered with her hat. She wore a green dress that went down to mid thigh. She wore white boots and fishnet arm warmers.

"Yo!" She said. "DJ Lenut has arrived!"

"Len…." Momo started.

"Ut….?" Rangiku finished then she faced Shinji. "What's the meaning of this?"

"What's wrong this time, Rangiku? You got yourself a DJ. Be happy." Shinji answered with a shrug. "Hey, Lenut, get into position yourself."

"Yup!" She skipped to the DJ booth.

"Shinji, I swear…." Rangiku started but Shinji stopped her.

"Don't worry Rangiku." He sighed. "This DJ is skilled in every way possible."

Rangiku sighed. "She better be." As she looked at her watch, she ordered everyone to change into their homecoming attire. In the changing room, Momo laid her gown on the table. It was a nice peach color with a tan thin belt to go around the waist line.

"Wow, you're gown is very beautiful, Momo." I commented. She blushed.

"Thank you, Rukia. But your gown is very nice."

"Looks like everyone did the simple yet elegant style I suppose." I replied modestly.

She giggled. "I suppose so."

We changed into our dresses, fixed our hair and makeup, and walked out. We went downstairs and saw Rangiku wearing a light pink mini dress that went to her knees. It was a V neck, as always, and the bottom frilled. A small flower was placed on her bun styled hair to keep it still.

"Momo! Rukia!" She called out. "C'mon on over!"

We walked as quickly as we could over to her.

"What do you need?" Momo asked. Rangiku smiled and gestured at the large room.

"What do you think of the room?"

We looked around. The dance floor was in the middle. Around 31 round tables were placed on the sides of the dance floor. The DJ booth was right in front of the dance floor, with the DJ Lenut behind it. The food bar was close to the main doorway with Urahara and Yoruichi cooking.

"It looks nice." I said happily. "Too bad you weren't able to get the theme you wanted in."

Rangiku sighed. "It's quite alright. Maybe next year. For now, lets' have some fun!"

"Hey, hey." We turned to see Shinji, Renji, and Ichigo walking up to us. They were wearing black suits. I slightly looked away. Renji and Ichigo looked pretty good in their outfit…

"What is it?" Rangiku asked.

"Remember, Ambassadors are the main defense against the Mundo guys." Shinji said rather seriously. "We've taken the liberty of bringing each of your designed weapons."

I blinked with surprise.

"Wait….But…." I started. "My weapon is a sword…"

Ichigo sighed. "Long weapons are concealed."

"And how do you conceal a sword, Mr. Genius?"

He handed me a dagger. "This dagger was specially made by Urahara-san. When used right-" He placed both hands on the dagger hilt and it turned into his sharp sword. "It turns to the sword."

I crossed my arms. "Do you honestly think I have time to figure out how to use it correctly?"

"No, but at least you got the dagger in case your sword doesn't come in." Ichigo said bluntly. I glared at him.

"WHY ARE YOU SO STUPID?"

He shrugged. "I dunno, why do you keep doubting me?" Then, he handed me a different dagger. "This is yours."

He turned his heels, placed his hands inside his pockets, and walked off. I watched him walk off. "What's up with him…?" I thought.

"Hey, make sure you hide that thing, Rukia." Renji said. "You wouldn't want the other student body to get really freaked out."

"O-Oh…right…" Then, Rangiku handed me a dagger holder.

"Put this around your thigh or something. Then just put the dagger inside."

"Rangiku, why do you have this?" I asked warily.

"Cause Shinji makes leaders keep stuff like this in case something happens…"

Shinji nodded to confirm this. "Well, anyways, just be careful today. Thanks to Kuchiki, you got your homecoming and sh*t. But if those Mundo kids happen to get information on us, we need to make sure we get the student body out of the venue immediately. There are 3 main exits: the main doorway, the secondary exit, and the underground passageway."

"Underground passageway?" I asked. Renji nodded.

"In case both of those exits happens to be blocked or something within that scenario, we'll destroy the dance floor and the passageway will show itself." Renji explained.

Shinji sighed. "Well, whatever the case…we better-"

Suddenly, Hiyori came in, kicking Shinji with her flying doom kick. Shinji fell back but managed to get his footing before he hit any of the tables or other ornaments.

"SHINJI!" Hiyori yelled. "WHERE IS THAT ELECTRO BADGE I GAVE YOU? I NEED IT RIGHT NOW!"

I found it very comical since Hiyori was wearing a white blouse and a crimson red skirt. Shinji looked up with a slightly nervous face.

"Er, yeah, about that…I lost it."

"YOU F*CKING WHAT?" She yelled. Thankfully, Lisa and Rose came just in time to stop her rampage.

"Hiyori, calm down." Rose said. "You have to be careful not to ruin any of the beautiful decorations we worked so hard to keep in perfect shape."

"I DON'T GIVE A D*NM!"

"C'mon, I bought a spare last night. You can use it." Lisa replied and slowly took her upstairs. Momo, Renji, and I stood there, laughing nervously as Hiyori kept her glare at Shinji. Once they were gone, Shinji straightened and sighed.

"Geez, that idiot…" He murmured as he walked towards us. "Alright, well, here's the layout of the venue. Memorize it. We already have Kensei and Hachi as guards. But if the Mundo kids sneak in, then it's our turn to keep guard. I know that we should have fun and all, but we need to be on our toes all night. Got it?"

We nodded.

XxXxXxX

Kuchiki was enjoying herself, even before homecoming started. She kept talking with Momo and Rangiku….Even Renji…

Renji….

"Yo."

I jumped slightly and turned around.

"Sh-Shinji?"

"D*nm, you get surprised easily."

I regained my composure. "Yeah right."

Shinji smirked and sat next to me. "So, you didn't ask Kuchiki?"

I shifted my eyes towards him. "What are you talking about…Shinji?"

"Look, it may not look like it, but I know a little bit more about girls than you do. And one thing is for sure…you have feelings for Kuchiki."

"Like I give a d*nm." I said, the usual neutral feeling overcoming me suddenly. "If she wants to be with Renji, it doesn't matter. She's my training partner. I barely know a single thing about her."

"Then get to know her." Shinji stated. I blinked with surprise. "If you want her to be your friend, you gotta talk to her. Even if she's not the type to speak out…women can be read just by their movements. You just gotta perceive it."

Then, Shinji stood up.

"We got 10 minutes till opening time. Some of the cars are already parked outside. We better get ready, Ichigo."

I nodded and stood up with him. "Right."

* * *

Author's note: YOSH! Finally done. LOL. Sorry for the super long wait you guys. I wanted to make this chapter as long as I could. Well, next chapter is going to have TONS of fighting and action so be prepared for that, alright? Hehehe, Ichigo's feelings are starting to unravel BUT that's the same for Renji! What will happen? Next time, on Under The Stars! Remember to comment and fav/alert! Once again, Happy Halloween! :)


	17. Nightmare on the Dancefloor

Author's note: Yay! Next chapter! Alright, I promise that this chapter will have tons of action and fighting. LOL. Plus, we might get a glimpse at Renji and Ichigo's feelings and so forth. Don't worry, this is still an Ichiruki fanfic BUT it wouldn't be fun without Renji trying to spoil the fun, right? Hahahah…..ha….ehem, ANYWAYS, please enjoy the chapter! Remember to comment and fav/alert! Thank you very much

.: Under The Stars :.

Book 1 – Sophomore

Nightmare on the Dancefloor

"Rukia, are you ready to party?" Rangiku asked, her peppy charisma at its peak. I nodded.

"Yes. This is my first homecoming here in Karakura Academy and I plan to enjoy myself to the fullest."

"That's what I want to hear from you!" Rangiku said, nodding. Momo looked out the window.

"Everyone is at the gate. Is everyone ready?"

I turned and saw all the members of Karakura Ambassadors either sitting in one of the tables, standing close to the DJ booth, or at the staircase.

"Ready to go."

"Lets' go!"

"Open the gates!"

Momo nodded and took out her wrist watch.

"Kensei-san, please open the gates."

I stared at Momo with surprise. She noticed my gaze and smiled.

"You'll get these wrist watches when you reach a certain rank in Ambassadors."

"Rank?"

Momo nodded. "No matter what grade you're in, you have a rank that is given to you. The top rank is leader, then 2nd, 3rd, and lastly, 4th. All new comers are 4th rank." She smiled at me. "But don't worry. You'll become a 3rd ranker like me soon. Ah, look, people are coming in!"

"YO! DJ LENUT!" Rangiku yelled. "TURN THE MUSIC UP!"

Lenut nodded and started playing a mix of songs. I watched my classmates and other students come in with their dates, their eyes in awe and their faces with surprise and happiness. I smiled. "This is what it's like…to experience homecoming…." I thought. Suddenly, I felt someone place their hand ontop of my head.

"Heheh, Rukia, are you enjoying yourself?"

I slowly turned my head. "R-Renji…?"

He had a smile on his face. "Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves. And it's only been a few minutes. Things are going as plan, huh?"

"Y-Yeah…" I murmured.

"C'mon, lets see what Urahara-san has for food."

"Ah…..S…Sure…"

XxXxXxXx

"Kurosaki-kun!"

I turned to see Orihime running towards me. I gave her an awkward smile.

"Yo, Inoue."

I noticed Uryuu and Chad was with her.

"I didn't think you guys would come…" I said.

"Hmph, I only came because Orihime forced me to." Uryuu stated. Chad nodded. I sighed.

"Well, I hope you guys enjoy yourselves."

"Kurosaki-kun, have you seen Rukia-san?"

"Mm? Kuchiki? Oh…." I turned and saw her talking with Renji. Renji…..

"Kurosaki…kun?"

I blinked out of my thinking.

"Ah, sorry about that, Inoue. Yeah, she's over there with Renji."

Inoue nodded and skipped off. As I watched her leave, Uryuu was looking at me.

"What are you looking at, Uryuu?" I asked, glaring.

"Hm, nothing. Just some stupid talker is all." He turned his heels and walked off. I grunted.

"Normal Uryuu…." I murmured. Chad nodded.

"Normal Chad…" I thought then shook my head. "If I think about Kuchiki this whole time, I won't be on full guard."

XxXxXxXx

"Orihime, you look wonderful in that dress." I commented. Orihime wore a light orange dress with a green sash around the waist. She smiled.

"Thank you, Rukia-san." She turned to Renji and she had a confused face. "Renji, are you Rukia's date?"

My eyes widened. "Eh? Orihime, where did you get that?"

"Well, it just seemed like it…."

Renji laughed. "No, we're not. Rukia is just a loner sometimes."

I glared at him. "Renji…"

He rose in hands in defeat. "Hey, hey, don't hurt me, alright?"

We all laughed until I noticed from a side glance that Momo and Toushiro were running towards us. Momo's face was very serious.

"Momo?" I asked. "Toushiro?"

By the time they got to us, Momo turned to Orihime with a smile.

"Orihime, DJ Lenut has your favorite song."

"Ah! Really? She has the ultra dance mix of-"

"Yes, she does." Toushiro said. "Go check it out before someone requests their favorite song."

Orihime nodded and she ran off.

"She's that naïve?" I thought. Then I turned to Momo.

"What's wrong?"

"We got a report on the gate." Toushiro stated. "They are 15 meters away and their car is hidden behind a few trees. No one is getting out if them either."

"Then what's there to worry?" Renji asked.

"A lot, Abarai." Toushiro responded. "If they are the Mundo kids…."

"We'll need to stay on our toes." Momo ended. "Renji, didn't you bring your wrist watch?"

"Ah…well….er…." He sighed. "No. I left it back home."

"Ugh, stupid." Toushiro murmured.

"Shiro-chan! Don't say that!" Momo suddenly stated. Toushiro sighed.

"Hmph, just be careful…"

As he walked off, Momo sighed.

"Sorry, he's in a bad mood." She whispered.

"Isn't he always?" Renji replied, frowning. Momo smiled awkwardly.

"Haha, well, I suppose." Then, she was off too. We were silent between each other for a moment until Renji did a fake cough.

"I'm going off, Rukia." Renji stated. I nodded.

"Yeah."

We walked off. From then on, I felt like the unknown tension became apparent and it was intensifying. As I looked around, the students didn't feel this tension. Unfortunately and I guess fortunately, the Ambassadors felt the tension. Their eyes shifted here and there. Those who were at the window kept watching, ignoring their friends' conversations. I bit my lip. Would I be ready to face the Hueco Mundo enemies….

Grimmjow?

Nnoitra?

…

"Nnoitra…" I thought and an image of Kaien-dono's dead body flashed in my brain. I felt my fist tightened when I felt someone touch my shoulder.

"Hey, Kuchiki, calm down." Someone whispered. That voice…

I slowly turned my head and realized it was Kurosaki

"You're standing here like a tree. You need to relax a little or the students will get worried."

"What are you talking about, Kurosaki?" I asked harshly.

"I'm talking about you. Are you deaf?"

"Ch…."

"Here." He turned me around and handed me a canned soda. "Chill out and walk around. Keep away from the windows or else it'll tense you up again. I know we have to be on our toes but do it discreetly. That way, we can keep the other students from noticing. Look."

I turned and saw the other Ambassadors smiling and seemingly enjoying themselves. Even Shinji was talking with some club leaders and upper social class students. Each member didn't seem fathomed by the report outside.

"You're like a sore thumb, y'know." Kurosaki stated. I glared.

"Don't make me throw this can at your carrot head, Kurosaki."

"I thought you're supposed to be lady-like and formal and sh*t."

"I can be formal when I want to be."

"And you choose this time to be? Geez, how stupid are you? You're wearing a dress and all that yet you're acting like a juvenile or something…"

"For thinking about throwing this can at your face? Since when was that a juvenile thinking?"

"When you came to the Academy, I suppose."

I threw the can towards him but he caught it before it wacked him in the face. He smirked, threw the can away, and walked off. I glared at him as he walked off.

"That…That…." I thought but blinked as I looked at my hands. The tension I had felt earlier….It seemed to have drifted off….

"I don't feel it anymore…" I thought with surprise. I smiled and looked at Kurosaki, who was talking with Keigo and Uryuu. "Thank you…."

XxXxXxXx

About an hour passed. To my surprise, there was no further report. I felt relaxed. At least, that was only for a moment…

I was sitting at a table, talking with Orihime, Rangiku, and Momo when I heard Momo and Rangiku's wrist watch buzz.

"Is something wrong?" Orihime asked.

"Ah…no…just something is wrong with our watch." Rangiku stated. "Ugh, stupid value stores. We'll be right back. Oh, and Rukia, come with us. I dunno how to fix a watch and since you're super smart and stuff-"

"Yeah." I replied, standing up. We left Orihime and entered the girl's bathroom on the second floor.

"What's the message, Kensei?" Rangiku asked through her wrist watch. There were pants.

"Rangiku…get everyone….out…." We heard Kensei stammer.

"HEY! WE AIN'T DONE YET!" Another voice yelled. But it wasn't from the watch. Our eyes widened and we quickly ran out. We saw Nnoitra, Grimmjow, Ulquiorra, and Yammy at the main doorway.

"Get the students out of here." Rangiku whispered. Momo nodded and I quickly followed her down the stairs as Rangiku made her way towards the intruders.

XxXxXxXx

The crowd became quiet when the Mundo kids arrived.

"Sh*t, I knew this would happen." I thought. I saw Rangiku and Shinji walk towards them. I shifted my eyes and saw Momo and Kuchiki quietly getting people to use the other exit. The other ambassadors did the same. To my surprise, Lenut continued playing different mixes.

"Is she stupid?" I thought but I didn't have time to ponder it too long. I turned to Uryuu and Chad.

"Guys, we gotta go." I said.

"Because of the Mundo guys?" Uryuu asked.

"Look, this is Karakura Academy's homecoming and it's stupid for them to come anyways. So, it's better if we're not here to watch them crash it."

Uryuu and Chad gave me a strange look until Uryuu sighed.

"So be it."

Suddenly, I heard the sound of someone getting hit. I froze and turned my head. Grimmjaw had punched Rangiku on the spot and she was lying on the ground, trying to get up.

"You bore me, woman." He stated. I tightened my fist but I knew that our first priority was to get everyone out of the venue immediately.

"Shinji, Rangiku, we're relying on you…."

XxXxXxXx

"So they think they can escape, neh?" I thought and placed my foot on the girl's chest. "Sorry woman, but I want to play with your other friends over there."

"You b*st*rd…." She murmured.

"Shut up!" I summoned my dagger from my sleeve and before the dagger sliced through her stupid face, someone deflected it. I looked up and smirked.

"Assistant Principal, eh?"

Shinji had a kunai around his finger and a smirk.

"I suggest you move your foot from the pretty lady, Grimmjow."

I glared and just before I could launch another attack, Nnoitra stopped me.

"Hey, we got a job to do, Grimmjaw." He stated but smirked. "Just remember to leave some of those pathetic Ambassadors for me."

XxXxXxXx

"This isn't good." I thought. While I tried to remain cool, I could tell that there were still some students leaving. Yet…why weren't the Mundo kids chasing them?

"Hey, assistant principal?" I looked at Nnoitra, who smirked. "We don't like small fries…."

Suddenly, my reflexes came into action as I dodged an attack by Yammy. The remaining students turned and stared but only to be scolded by the other Ambassador members. I could hear Hiyori's yell,

"Move it, stupid!"

I relaxed a bit.

"Y'know, I hate slow a**holes." I said, shifted my stance, and in a flash, punched Yammy in the gut.

XxXxXxXx

All of the students left the venue and I quickly took out the dagger.

"My katana is somehow in here…." I thought. I remembered Kurosaki using it and how he just flicked the dagger and the katana came to. I sighed.

"I need to help Rangiku and Shinji now." I thought and ran into the building. The moment I arrived at the doorway, Renji was thrown to the wall beside me.

"R…Renji?" I murmured.

"Be…Be careful…Rukia." He stated, staggering to get up. "I don't know what's up with them…but they're stronger than I imagined."

I looked and noticed Momo, Lisa, and Toushiro were fighting Yammy, Love, Rose, and Rangiku were fighting Ulquiorra, Kurosaki was fighting Grimmjow, and Hiyori and Shinji were fighting Nnoitra.

I quickly helped Renji up.

"Renji, you should rest." I said as I noticed his bruises on his arms. He frowned.

"I'm fine, Rukia. You just help Ichigo."

"But-"

"Watch out!" He pushed me away using his own body to dodge a table. Renji looked at me intently.

"You either leave or help, Rukia. Whatever they're after, it's serious. And if they didn't chase one of the students…"

"Then one of us has something important to them." I thought and stood up. "Renji, be careful."

He nodded and I flicked the dagger. To my surprise, my normal katana appeared. My eyes widened but only for a moment.

XxXxXxXx

"Are you ready to fall, Kurosaki?" Grimmjaw asked. Our blades clashed.

"Not a chance." I replied, swung a back kick, and sent him flying.

"Kurosaki!"

I turned and saw Kuchiki running towards me.

"Kuchiki? What are you doing here?"

"Helping you, a**hole." She replied.

"You don't know the right techniques yet! You're useless right now!" I snapped.

"Oh really?" She glared at me, taking her stance. "This is against Grimmjow, huh…?"

"Stupid, you should have just left."

Suddenly, Grimmjow appeared from the ruble, his glare set.

"You little b*tches…" Grimmjow hissed. "You'll be good as screwed when I'm done with you."

"I have no time to play with you." Kuchiki replied. I blinked with surprise. Her aura…It was serious. "I promise you, Grimmjow, I will finish you off before you know it."

That stance…

"You idiot! That will never work!" I said. She ignored me and charged in. I gripped my blade tight and came in close beside her. If something happens, I can do a swift counterattack.

XxXxXx

"Eh? You tryin' to do a secret attack, b*tch?" Grimmjow asked as he came towards me. "Well, you're out of luck!"

"15 feet and closing…" I calculated mentally. "Fix the stance, turn the blade…."

_Weeks earlier…._

"_What the h*ll are you doing, Kuchiki?" Kurosaki asked, pointing his wooden blade at my neck. "That attack would never work in actual combat. And you said I was stupid…."_

"_You are stupid, stupid." I replied casually. "But the only reason why the attack didn't work is because I had miscalculated…"_

"_And that's why it would never work in real combat." Kurosaki countered. "I admit that you're super smart, like, book work smart. I get it. But you can't calculate how far an opponent is without having some sort of equipment to do it for you. If you miscalculate, then the attack can easily counter and be eliminated. That's the major flaw of your attack."_

"_Then help me up and spar me again. I won't stop until I've perfected this attack."_

"I won't lose again because this time…." I thought. "My calculations won't fail me!"

I dragged my foot all the way around and felt my blade make a clean cut on Grimmjaw's chest. His eyes widened as he staggered back.

"White Moon…Dance 1." I whispered.

"Ch….So that's the name of your pathetic attack?"

My eyes widened as I looked up. Grimmjow was still standing, a maniacal grin was on his face.

"What…?" I stuttered. "But…But that attack should have-"

In a flash, he disappeared but at the same moment, he appeared in front of me. His blade struck through my chest and I could feel myself go unconscious.

"KUCHIKI!"

"….

…..

Kuro….

….

…Saki…"

* * *

Author's note: Hm, hm, hm, interesting now, isn't it? Just like when Grimmjaw first fought against Rukia and Ichigo! Oooooh! What will happen now! Ah, just so you guys know, each of the battles are taken in different parts of the venue. Grimmjaw vs Rukia and Ichigo is actually ON the dancefloor, which makes the title of this chapter efficient. If you have any questions, just ask. Oh, and sorry for any grammar and/or spelling mistakes! Well, I hope you guys liked the chapter! Please comment and fav/alert!


	18. No Forgiveness

Author's note: Hello everyone! I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far. I've decided to end Book 1 sometimes within the next 3 or 4 chapters. Well, at least SOMEWHERE along those lines I suppose. Well, anyways, please enjoy and remember to comment and fav/alert! Chappy cookies for all of you!

.: Under The Stars :.

Book 1 – Sophomore

No forgiveness

"Kuchiki!" I yelled. Before she fell, I caught her and jumped back. "D*nm you, Grimmjaw."

He laughed. "Pathetic girl. She thought she could be beat me with a half a** attack like that!"

"D*nm it…." I murmured and looked at Kuchiki. She had lost consciousness and was obviously in critical condition. Renji was going to be f*cking pissed now….

"Now it's your turn, Kurosaki Ichigo!"

I quickly dodged and jumped behind the DJ booth. I carefully placed Kuchiki on the ground.

"I'm sorry for not protecting you…." I whispered.

"You can't hide forever, Kurosaki!" Grimmjow yelled. I sighed, picked up my blade, and jumped out of the booth.

"Then lets finish this." I stated.

XxXxXx

"Abarai, are you ok?" Shinji asked as we hid on one of the hallways. "You're pale."

"Something just struck me…." I murmured, gripping my nunchuks.

"Don't worry, Abarai." Shinji gestured. "We'll make it out of this."

XxXxXx

I opened my eyes. Am I dead? I straightened up and looked around. I had been lying on a grassy field.

"Kuchiki-san."

I turned around and saw a young man with short brown hair stand a few feet from me. He wore square glasses, a white button up shirt, and dress pants. He had a warm smile on his face.

"Who are you…?" I asked quietly.

"You can call me Sosuke."

"Sosuke…..?"

XxXxXx

"A never ending barrage of attacks, eh, Kurosaki?" Grimmjow yelled. "Is this how you want to end things!"

I ignored him, got a nice footing, and swung a spinning hook kick at his head. He ducked and tried to swing his sword but I quickly jumped back.

"You ain't gonna get anywhere with those half a** attacks!" He yelled. I looked at the DJ booth for a moment.

"I'll finish this soon, Kuchiki…" I thought. "And I'll get you some help. Just stay alive for me, d*nmitt…."

XxXxXx

"Hinamori!" I quickly rushed to her aid when she was punched in the gut and was sent flying to the wall. She slowly got up.

"I….I'm fine….I promise…." She whispered. It was so weak…

"Stay here, Hinamori. You're in no condition to fight any longer."

"No…I want to help…..Shiro-chan….just a little more….."

"Don't be stupid! You're bruised all over and you're bleeding. We need to get you checked up quick."

She smiled. "Thank you…for everything….Shiro-chan….I'm sleepy now…."

At that moment, she fell unconscious.

"Hina…mori…."

There was a small silence. I stood up, took off my suit's jacket, and gave it to Hinamori.

"I'll be back, Hinamori. I just need to take out some unneeded annoyances."

XxXxXx

"Where are you taking me, Sosuke-san?" I asked as we walked through the field. He looked behind me.

"I want to help you unlock your true potential, Kuchiki-san. Your power is much unmatched….but you need to hone those skills."

"Hone….my skills….? Unmatched…power?" I murmured. He nodded.

"That attack you did against Grimmjow, White Moon Dance 1…That's an example and only a 1/3 of your power. And if you and Kurosaki-kun fight together, then the Ambassadors will have unlimited power."

We stopped and the grassy field turned into snow and ice.

"Practice your skills, Kuchiki-san. And the next time you fight, you'll be stronger than ever."

Suddenly, he handed me my katana. "This may be the last time I will see you, Kuchiki-san."

"Wait…what?"

"The next time I see you, I will not be the man you see now. Do me a favor, Kuchiki-san….Don't die before that next time."

Then, he disappeared, along with the world I had awoken to…

XxXxXx

"D*nm you, Nnoitra…." I murmured as I slowly stood up. He laughed.

"You ain't got the sh*t to do anything!" He yelled. "Your nunchuks are all broken and you got nothing left! Give it up!"

"Sorry…"

Nnoitra eyes widened as he turned around.

"You forgot that Abarai isn't the only opponent in this fight." Shinji stated and charged towards him. I smirked. Nnoitra was too busy fighting me that he didn't realize Shinji was watching his every movement. Shinji has this strange thing when in partner fights. He would hide in the shadows and watch the movements of the opponent as his partner fights. Thankfully, Nnoitra is pretty stupid so he didn't realize that Shinji was simply waiting.

And Shinji isn't the leader of Ambassadors for nothing…

His weapons, the tonfas, are made of steel. Out of all the Ambassadors, he and his squad are the most menacing.

XxXxXx

"D*nmitt." I flew back but quickly regained balance. "Note to self….buy heels that have better stability."

"Oh? You're still alive…" Ulquiorra said calmly.

"Rangiku, are you ok?" Rose asked. I nodded.

"I'm fine."

Ulquiorra was not someone to underestimate. While he is the most cool-headed and calm one out of the Mundo league, he is the strongest out of them all. His weapon, the sai, are deadlier than Shinji's tofas. Within his sai are poison and once you're stabbed, it automatically injects it into your system. Of course, Ulquiorra is immune to the poison that he invented…

"He's not even giving it his all…." Love murmured. I glared and bit my lip.

"He's just wasting our energy…." I murmured back. He sighed.

"I don't have time to play with little children. Your worthless attacks are boring me." He took his stance. "Die."

Suddenly, before he moved, he stopped himself and his eyes widened. He didn't move for a moment and then he withdrew his weapons.

"Hm, it looks like you've been spared, Karakura Ambassadors."

"What?" I asked.

"We've finished our job here."

Then, he disappeared.

XxXxXx

"ARE YOU F*CKING KIDDING ME?" Grimmjow yelled. "I WAS JUST KICKING KUROSAKI'S A** TO THE NEXT CENTURY! D*NMITT!"

He turned around and withdrew his sword.

"I'll get you next time, Kurosaki."

I was about to chase him but I realized that Kuchiki was still behind the DJ booth.

"If we don't bring Kuchiki to Unohana-san, we'll be in deep sh*t…." I thought as I watched Grimmjow leave. I slowly stood up and walked behind the booth. Kuchiki was still unconscious and was still in critical condition. I withdrew my sword and carefully picked her up. By this time, Renji and Shinji came down.

"Looks like they withdrew themselves and escaped." Shinji stated. "Those f*cking rats."

"RUKIA!" Renji yelled and ran up me. He looked at Kuchiki with shock. Then he faced me, glaring.

"What the f*ck have you done, Ichigo?"

"Stop yelling, Renji." I said. "We need to get Kuchiki to Unohana-san, NOW."

"She's already coming."

We turned and saw Toushiro and Lisa coming towards us. Momo was on Lisa's back, unconscious. Toushiro sighed.

"Lisa had called her right when Yammy left. She and the rest of the medical squad are on their way."

Shinji nodded.

"Good."

Renji still glared at me. I glared back.

"Calm down, both of you." Rangiku appeared, holding her left side as she staggered towards us. "We have a lot of things to do."

"Rangiku is right." Shinji replied. "We need to start fixing this place up."

But we could tell that he was eying Rangiku with a tint of worry in his eyes. Rangiku could trace this as she sighed.

"I'm fine, for now…." She murmured. "Unohana-san probably has an antidote or something…I'll be fine, promise."

"You rest with Hinamori and Kuchiki, Rangiku." Lisa stated. "If you move too much, the poison might move through your system quicker. We'll take care of cleanup."

She nodded and slowly sat down on a chair.

"Kurosaki, you keep watch with Rangiku since you're already carrying Kuchiki." Shinji ordered. I sighed.

"Fine…"

Renji wanted to say something back but he seemed to reconsider and took it back.

As the others went to clean up the venue, I watched Kuchiki getting first aid help from Rose.

"I'm sorry that I'm not that good at this kind of stuff…." Rose admitted. "But this should stop the bleeding for now."

He got up and left to help the others. I sat next to Kuchiki and watched her breathing.

"Kuchiki…." I thought.

"_White Moon…Dance 1."_

"_Ch….So that's the name of your pathetic attack?"_

"_KUCHIKI!"_

"…_.Kuro….…Saki…"_

I sighed. "You'll be ok, Kuchiki…."

XxXxXx

I watched Ichigo. He had a worried look on his face. It was the first time I've seen him having a different facial expression aside from his scowl, smirk, and small smile. Then I looked at Renji. He was close by, watching Ichigo and Rukia. I smirked.

"Such a cute love triangle…." I thought. Then I looked at Hinamori, who lay beside me. She was full of bruises. The poor girl….She worked so hard she wouldn't burden people. Then I looked at my wound. It was patched up but I still needed the antidote or else the consequences would be fatal.

XxXxXx

25 minutes passed and the medical squad had arrived under the leadership of Unohana-san.

"Sir, may I look at your wounds?" One of the medical members asked. I nodded.

"Sure but make sure you look after Kuchiki Rukia over there. She and Matsumoto Rangiku are in need of medical help right now." I replied. The boy nodded and quickly healed my bruises and cuts.

"Yo, Shinji!"

I looked up and saw DJ Lenut walking towards me. I smirked.

"Did you finish the job?"

"Yup. The kiddos got back home safe and sound." She chirped. I nodded.

"Good work…Nel."

She grinned. "That's what teammates are for."

I sighed. "I suppose so."

The medical boy stood up. "You'll be good to go, sir."

"Thank you."

After he left, Nel helped me up.

"Sorry you had to fill in for Mashiro." I said. She shrugged.

"She had family matters to deal with this week. I told ya, teammates help each other."

"You were never our teammate." We turned and saw Hiyori walking towards us. She had a cut on her cheek and bruises on her arm. "We didn't need your help, Nel."

She frowned. "Why not, Hiyori-chan?"

"DON'T YOU F*CKING CALL ME THAT!" She was about to leap at her but I quickly restrained her.

"Hiyori, chill out." I murmured. She scoffed.

"Whatever. Either way, you're a Mundo. You don't belong with us."

She looked down. "I know…."

"Get out of here."

She was silent but she turned her heels and walked out.

"D*nmitt, Hiyori…." I said. "You didn't have to rush her out like that."

"Shut up." She turned to glare at me. "You know the risks with her around us."

XxXxXx

"Alright, she'll be alright now." Unohana-san said. I sighed with relief.

"Thank goodness…."

Ichigo nodded. "She'll make it."

I turned to him. "It's all your fault, Ichigo."

"My fault?"

We stood up in unison, our glares battling each other.

"Yeah, you didn't protect Rukia when she needed."

"Hey, I tried to tell her that she wasn't meant to fight this battle. But she was stubborn. She took on Grimmjow head on. Even if I was close by her, I couldn't stop his attack."

"Then you're weak!"

His eyes widened and I clutched his shirt collar.

"If you were stronger, then you would have protected Rukia when she needed it. Now look at her! If it was for Unohana-san, she would have DIED."

Finally, I let go of his collar when he didn't say anything in response.

"Renji…." I heard Rangiku murmur.

"The venue is back to normal. I'm going home."

As I walked out of the venue, I looked at the sky.

"I will never forgive those Mundo b*st*rds…."

XxXxX

I turned to look at Ichigo. He just stood there, looking at the ground.

"Ichigo…." I murmured. He looked at me, with a scowl on his face.

"I'm going home too." He said. "It's just been a long day…."

I nodded. "Get some rest."

"Thanks…."

As I watched him leave, I looked at Rukia. She was being carried away by a stretcher.

"Rukia, if you don't get stronger soon…." I thought. "You're death is going to be more certain than anyone else here…."

* * *

Note: YES! I'm so happy I was about to finish this. Sorry, this is a short chapter and I know it was sorta boring. But hey, I tried. Well…I have nothing much to say after this. OH, well, I am watching Katekyo Hitman Reborn now and it's a freakishly awesome anime. Like, it PWNS all. I might make a oneshot with the anime….but it's sorta hard since most of the pairings are, erm, yaoi related. Not to be offensive but I don't really like yaoi...Well, anyways, please comment and fav/alert. Thanks guys!


	19. Maybe

Author's note: Hey! Well, sorry for the wait. Busy with stuff. Crunchyroll is being annoying with allowing me to watch my Katekyo Hitman Reborn anime. Sigh, sigh, sigh….Anyways, this is a bleach story SO I need to talk about bleach…

I don't like the non-shinigami ichigo. It's boring. Ugh…. I'm ready for him to SHINIGAMI again. And meet Rukia! Teehee!

Oh, and one last news. I will be doing a Christmas oneshot for Bleach, Naruto, and maybe Code Geass (another new anime obsession).

Ok, so, lets start the story shall we? I don't want to rant to you guys for too long. Remember to comment and fav/alert! Thanks!

.: Under The Flies :.

Book 1 – Sophomore

Maybe

I slowly opened my eyes. I found myself staring at a ceiling.

"Wh….Where am I….?" I murmured.

"You're in my underground hospital, dear Kuchiki-san."

I turned my head to see Dr. Unohana coming inside. I groaned.

"I feel groggy…"

"You were stabbed in a pretty critical area. Thankfully, most of the damage has been healed so now all that's left is patience."

I placed my hand over my chest.

"_Ch….So that's the name of your pathetic attack?" Grimmjow snarled._

I closed my eyes and tried to keep myself calm. If I became nervous and breathed too hard or too quickly, I might reopen the wounds.

"How are the others, Doctor Unohana?" I asked. She smiled.

"They are fine. Hinamori left a few hours earlier and Rangiku was treated with an antidote that knocked her out. She's still sleeping."

"Antidote?"

"She was poisoned. By the time we arrived, the poison had gone through almost half of her system. It was barely recognized."

Then I remembered that Rangiku had been fighting against Ulquiorra.

"So he can use poison….?" I thought intently. Then I looked at Dr. Unohana.

"Doctor Unohana, am I in a good condition to walk around freely?"

She shook her head solemnly. "You may have gotten out of danger zone, but you still need to rest."

"If I may ask….how long is my recuperation?"

She smiled. "You're very formal, dear." Then she walked up to my bed and picked up the clipboard. "You have about one week total. But this will be the only day that you'll be stuck in bed all day. But the next 6 days, we'll have to carefully watch you in case something happens."

"What about school?" I asked.

"It's already covered. Shinji-kun emailed all the teachers that you have and told them that you were helping him with something very important. All schoolwork will be placed in his office and he will deliver them to me. Your guardians have also been emailed by Shinji."

I sighed. Hisana will be very worried when I get back home….

"For now, this will be where you rest." As she turned around, she stopped midway towards the door. "Don't do anything too rash, Kuchiki-san."

Then she closed the door behind her.

XxXxXx

"Ichigo, time for dinner!" I heard Yuzu call from downstairs. I didn't move from my bed. Flashbacks from the battle had continued to play over and over again; it was as if I was paralyzed on illusion….but it wasn't an illusion. It was real, all of it.

"Nii-san?" The door slightly opened and Yuzu peered in. I lifted my head up.

"Oh, Yuzu, I'll be down for dinner-"

"I know that you're busy….So I brought your plate up here." She brought the plate on my desk and walked out, closing the door behind her. I looked at the plate. It was filled with fried rice, teriyaki shrimp, and fried vegetables.

"Yuzu really went all out on this…" I murmured as I slowly got up. Suddenly, I heard my phone vibrate. I got off of bed and walked to my phone. Apparently, it was a text message from Rangiku.

"_Next Ambassador Meeting: October 10__th__, Saturday. Mandatory meeting!"_

I deleted the message and put my phone on the desk.

"D*nm Ambassadors….." I murmured as I sat down and started eating.

XxXxXx

"You wanted to see me, Renji?" Rangiku asked. She was eating some French cake in the Urahara Café. I sat across from her.

"It's about Rukia."

She looked up from her phone, her right eyebrow raised.

"Really now….?"

"For some reason, Unohana-san won't let me see Rukia at her hospital after school. Have you-"

"No, I haven't visited her." She replied, adding a sigh. "I was going to give her flowers but Unohana-san took it from me and said that she would give them to Rukia."

"Ch….."

"Don't be so aggravated, Renji." I looked up at her. She smirked as she placed her chin on top of her hand. "She'll be out of the hospital soon. Then you can tell her how you feel."

"R…Rangiku…."

She smiled. "You can say that…I have some personal experiences with love."

XxXxXx

"White Moon…Dance 1…." I murmured as I drew out my sword but just before I could make my attack, I felt a surge of pain on my chest and I immediately dropped the sword. "Cr…Crap…."

"Ah, so this is where you are…"

I bit my lip as I heard Unohana's footsteps coming inside.

"Maybe I should give you a smaller room so you can't draw out your sword."

"I-I'm sorry, Doctor Unohana…I…."

She smiled. "It's alright, it's alright. I've healed hard-headed fighters before. Unfortunately, it made treatment more troublesome but that's not the point. It's that they wanted to get stronger for the sake of their resolve."

I smiled back. "Thank you, Doctor Unohana."

"Oh, I forgot to mention this to you….You can simply call me 'Unohana-san' like the others. But if you wish to continue calling me Doctor, then that is fine."

I nodded. "Yes, Unohana-san."

She smiled and turned around.

"Please keep your training to a minimum level, though, Kuchiki-san. If you wake my patients, I'll be forced to confiscate your sword."

I nodded. "Understood."

When she left, I picked up my sword again.

"I promise, everyone, that I will get stronger….."

XxXxXx

A few days passed. Apparently, those who went to the Homecoming dance forgot everything about it except for the Ambassadors.

"Homecoming?" Inoue said one day. "I don't think I went…Hrm….I don't remember going at least."

"The dance? When was that…?" Keigo said to me a few hours after that.

I learned from Shinji that the DJ was actually Nel and she used a forgetting powder on the students she escorted to their homes.

Kuchiki's teachers didn't seem to be concerned with Kuchiki being missing. Well, they're probably thinking that she can revive her grades when she comes back…

Speaking of Kuchiki…..

I walked down the hall towards Unohana-san's office. I knocked on the door.

"Unohana-san?" I called out. It was after school so no one seemed to be around the hallways. Instead of Unohana-san, Isane-san was the one who opened the door.

"Ah, Kurosaki-kun, good afternoon."

"Good morning, Nurse Isane." I replied. "How's Kuchiki Rukia?"

"Oh, she checked out about an hour ago."

"R-Really?"

She nodded, smiling. "She seemed very happy that she could leave."

"Did she mention where she was going?"

"Well, actually, Abarai Renji was here to pick her up-"

"Thank you, Nurse Isane."

I turned around and left. D*nm Renji…

XxXxXx

"Y'know, Renji, I can go home by myself…." I murmured. He sighed.

"I'm not going to leave your side until you get home."

"Ugh, you're so annoying…."

We walked in silence for a moment.

"Rukia…." Renji started.

"Yes?"

"I….I want to ask you something…"

"That is?"

"I wanted to say that-"

"Rukia-chaaaan!"

I turned around.

"Ah, Orihime, good afternoon."

XxXxXx

"This is bullsh*t now…" I thought as I watched Rukia and Orihime talk cheerfully. "How am I supposed to tell her how I feel….?"

XxXxXx

"You've been gone for a while now so I was wondering…maybe afterschool tomorrow…we can go shopping!" Orihime exclaimed.

"Sure thing." I replied, nodding. "I need to get some new clothes anyways."

"Where are you going?"

"Oh, I was going back home. Renji wanted to escort me home, though."

"May I come with you?"

"Ok."

We continued walking with Orihime telling me all the things going on at school. Renji, for some reason, was awfully quiet, especially for his case.

Once I arrived at my apartment building, I waved goodbye to Orihime and Renji. I turned around and looked at my apartment building. It's been a week since I last left this place….I walked up the stairs and knocked on my apartment door. It was silent for a moment until Hisana opened the door. Her eyes widened.

"R…Rukia….."

"Good afternoon, Hisa-"

She immediately embraced me. I felt her tears get on my shirt.

"My god…I'm so happy you're alright…." She murmured. I smiled and hugged her back.

"Thank you for caring, Hisana-nee-chan…"

I walked inside with her and I smelled something delicious.

"Hisana-nee, what are you cooking?" I asked.

"Well, I had originally planned to cook just fried vegetables for Byakuya and I but now that you've returned, I'm going to cook really hard to make a small feast. Why don't you invite some of your friends?"

"Wh….Wha? But…Onii-sama hates crowds."

"It'll be fine. He'll understand that it's all for you."

I smiled. Hisana hasn't changed a bit.

"Alright. I'll call a few friends."

"Go up to your room and get yourself all cleaned up, ok?"

I nodded and walked upstairs. When I opened the door to my room, I was relieved that everything was clean and normal. The only difference was that Hisana changed my bed sheets and curtains. I dropped my bag to the side and took out my dagger holder. I flicked it to the side and the blade extended and the hilt changed to my sword. I've been training all this week to get stronger yet….

"I feel like I haven't gotten anywhere…" I murmured. White Moon Dance 1 hasn't even been completed and it's already been a week. "What am I going to do….?"

XxXxXx

I was sitting in my room, doing homework, when I got a text message. I grabbed my phone and looked at it.

"Want to come over to my house tonight? My sister is having a party. If you don't want to come, that's fine. – Rukia"

I looked at the people she sent it to. She sent the message to me, Renji, Momo, Rangiku, and Inoue. I sighed.

"Well, I got nothing better to do…" I murmured and quickly replied to the message.

XxXxXx

"Oh? A party?" I said. I just got out of the bath when I heard my phone ring. Unlike the other phones, I gave my phone a specific ringtone whenever I get a text message.

"Hm, it does sound fun…" I thought. "And I've never tasted Rukia sister's food before…."

I suddenly got a glance at my picture frame beside my bed.

"…..Gin….."

XxXxXx

"I love parties!" I stated happily.

"Orihime, I thought you said you were going to start on that project for home economics class." Tatsuki told me. I sighed.

"After the party. I've never really been inside Rukia-chan's house. I think it'll be fun."

XxXxXx

"A party?" Toushiro said after I told him about the text message I got. "Sorry, but I'll pass. It's for you, not for me."

"Please, Shiro-chan! Don't you wanna come?" I asked.

"No thanks."

"Please?"

"No."

"What are you doing to be doing all day anyways?" He sighed.

"I'm going to be working on chemistry homework and calculus problems."

"You're such a workaholic…"

XxXxXx

I was taking a jog around the park when I felt my phone vibrate. I stopped and checked it.

"From rukia?" I thought and read the message. Once I finished reading, I looked at the sky.

"I guess I'll go and visit….Maybe then I can finally tell her…"

XxXxXx

"Rukia! Did you call your friends already?" I heard Hisana yell from downstairs.

"Yes, I did!" I yelled back. I sighed and closed the door. I had taken a bath after sending the text to them the text messages and so I was wrapped in my towel.

"Ugh…Now what am I going to wear….?" I thought as I looked through my closet. Suddenly, I heard someone knock on the door.

"Rukia, one of your friends is here." I heard Hisana say. I sighed.

"Who?"

"Hm…she is has pretty amber blond hair…"

"Ok, ok!" I said as picked out my outfit. "I'll be out in a second!"

I heard her giggle. "Alright then."

After getting changed, I walked downstairs. Of course, Rangiku was sitting on the sofa, texting on her phone. She looked up and smiled.

"Hey, Rukia. Sorry if I'm a tad bit early." She stated. "I just wanted to talk to you."

"Oh, well, why don't you come up to my room? My sister is making the food…"

She nodded. "Yeah and by the smell of it, that's going to be some good food later."

We walked back upstairs and Rangiku looked around my room.

"Hm, just as I thought; neat to precision as well as simple."

I sighed. "Shall I take that as a compliment, Rangiku?"

"Hm, well it was meant to be a compliment…."

I motioned for her to take a seat and she gladly took a seat on my bed.

"Oh? Your bed is so soft!"

I sighed. "Yeah, all beds are supposed to be soft…Anyways, what did you want to talk to me about?"

She looked at me seriously. "First things first…our Ambassador meeting is tomorrow. Will you be attending?"

I looked down. I just got out of the hospital and now there's a meeting….

"Yeah, I'll be going." I managed to say, but I didn't look up. I heard Rangiku sigh.

"I hope you'll be keeping your word. The second thing I want to talk to you about is you and Ichigo and Renji."

This is where I looked up, my eyes widened with shock.

"What? My relationship with Ichigo and Renji?"

She nodded. "Yes. I forgot to mention this to you during your opening ceremony when you joined us…but….Relationships between each member of the Ambassadors is vital information. I'll give you an example: Me and Shinji. We're both squad leaders and we have good teamwork but sometimes we ignore each other's requests. So our relationship is a rank 8."

"Rank….8?"

She nodded again. "Each relationship with each member is ranked 1 to 10, 1 being the lowest, and 10 being the highest."

I took a seat next to her. "Well…Renji and I have been friends for a long time but he's been acting strangely. It annoys me. But I have to admit, he knows me really well….I guess….If I were to rank him…..I would rank him….7."

She nodded and seemed to write it down on a sheet of paper. "What about Ichigo?"

"Kurosaki…? Hm…." I thought about this for a moment. "Now that I think about it…He's actually really reliable."

"Hm?"

"Even though I've known him for about 2 months now…He's been someone that I could trust. He helped me train and even though we argue, I feel like we're connected somehow." I paused to take a breath. "But he's annoying and still doesn't know much about me. He can be stupid and nosy. So my rank for Kurosaki would be…..8."

Rangiku smirked. "Hm….interesting…."

I shrugged. "I've talked to Kurosaki more than Renji this year. Besides, Renji's too overprotective."

"All men are, Rukia."

"Huh?"

"Ah, nothing…nothing…."

"Rangiku...Is there another reason why you asked me about my relationships between those two in particular?"

She smiled. "You'll see."

Suddenly, the door opened and Renji, Momo, and Ichigo came in.

"WHEN DID I ASK YOU TO COME IN?" I asked. "I don't mind Momo coming in without my permission but you boys should know better."

Renji rolled his eyes. "I don't have a sister or anything so how am I supposed to know when to come in? Your sis told us to wait in your room while she finishes cooking."

I sighed. "Well, good luck trying to find a place to sit."

Momo sat next to Rangiku on the bed, Ichigo sat on my chair, and Renji leaned beside the desk. I decided to just stand.

"Ok, so what's up with the random party?" Ichigo asked.

"My sister wanted me to invite friends over." I responded. "Since she was worried about me and stuff."

"Hm, Momo, you couldn't convey Toushiro to come?" Rangiku asked. Momo shook her head.

"He wanted to work on his project thingy. He said that since I was visiting Rukia, it wasn't something he should worry about."

Rangiku laughed. "Hm, well, I guess he'll miss out. Since most of my squad is here, I want to explain some of the basics from what the meeting will consist of."

Our eyes turned serious and room was filled with the same intent. Rangiku took out her iphone.

"Ok, the main thing is discussing about the battle with the Mundo kids. Obviously, something was wrong."

"Wrong?" I asked. "What do you mean?"

"Oh right, you were unconscious…" Rangiku stated. "You see-"

"After you got yourself unconscious by Grimmjow, the Mundo guys were getting easier for some reason." Ichigo intervened. "Moreover, after about I assume 5 minutes, they retreated."

"Re…treated…?" I murmured. "Why would they retreat?"

"That's the same question we're trying to figure out." Rangiku replied, sighing.

"They were after something important." Renji commented. "They wouldn't have just crashed in. The must have had a specific intention."

XxXxXx

I looked at Kuchiki. Ever since she became unconscious….I sighed and looked out the window. It was getting darker…

XxXxXx

"I'm sorry that I couldn't help." I said. "If I was stronger…"

"You are strong, Rukia." Renji said, smiling. "You're stronger than everyone here."

I smiled. "Thank you, Renji…"

Then I remember what Mr. Sosuke told me in that dream…

"_I want to help you unlock your true potential, Kuchiki-san. Your power is much unmatched….but you need to hone those skills."_

"_Hone….my skills….? Unmatched…power?" I murmured. He nodded._

"_That attack you did against Grimmjow, White Moon Dance 1…That's an example and only a 1/3 of your power. And if you and Kurosaki-kun fight together, then the Ambassadors will have unlimited power."_

"That's right….Sosuke-san had told me something similar to that…" I thought. I turned to look at Kurosaki. "If we fight together….We could defeat…the Mundo….."

"Well, pushing that aside," Rangiku started. "The other thing we have to talk about is the thought about….adding a dormitory to the school compound."

"WHAT?" We yelled in surprise. "A DORMITORY?"

"Ssssh…." Rangiku muttered. "I know, I know, it's a bit out there but Shinji and even Headmaster was thinking of making one. But we need everyone in the Ambassadors to know."

"Has Headmaster Yamamoto lost his mind?" Renji yelled. "Why a dorm?"

Then something struck me. "Renji, don't you see?" Everyone looked at me.

"If you have a dormitory in the school compound, we can easily protect the students. Especially since we don't know who or what the Mundo's are targeting." I responded. Momo nodded in agreement.

"Rukia has a point, guys." She stated. "If the Mundo kids want a normal student, or even…one of us….Then we need to stay close to one another. Close to the school in case we need Doctor Unohana's medical squad."

I looked at Momo and she smiled. Rangiku then turned to the two boys.

"Well, it looks like the Rukia and Momo made their point. Do you object?" Rangiku asked coolly. Renji grimaced. "No…"

Kurosaki didn't look at us but kept looking at the window. "You guys are right."

I looked at Kurosaki for a moment then faced Rangiku. "Has Shinji told his squad?"

Rangiku shook her head. "This was meant to be further discussed at the meeting tomorrow. I just wanted to give you guys the heads up."

We were silent for a moment until we heard someone knock on our door.

"Rukia! Tell your friends that it's time for dinner!" Hisana chirped. I smiled.

"I will!" I yelled. Rangiku grinned.

"I'm ready for some food!" She said, standing up. Renji smirked.

"Rukia's sister makes the best food around!"

"Oh really? I'll be the one to judge that statement." Rangiku replied as the two started downstairs. Momo laughed and followed them. As Ichigo started to walk out, I looked at him intently.

"Kurosaki, are you alright?" I asked. He turned his head to look at me. To someone who didn't look close enough, it would seem he was looking at you. But he was actually looking away…

"Yeah. I'm fine." He replied. I glared.

"If we're supposed to be partners, we should try not to lie."

He finally moved his pupils towards me, but only slightly. At this point, I couldn't tell what he was thinking. Something in his eyes was keeping me from reading his emotions.

"Then you tell me…." Kurosaki responded. "What's wrong with you?"

I blinked with surprise but resumed my glare. "I'm perfectly fine, stupid. You're the one that has issues."

"I thought we're not supposed to lie since we're-"

I stood up. "Forget what I said earlier."

He sighed and shrugged. "Alright. When you get your thoughts cleared up, maybe you can try again."

As he walked out, I let out a frustrated sigh. That carrot head….Then I looked at my hands.

"Maybe…." I murmured

* * *

Note: Yay! Sorry for the awkward suckiness. Please keep in mind that Rukia doesn't know who the Leader of the Hueco Mundo league is. Oh, and lets just say that Orihime didn't get to go to Rukia's party because of random reasons. Just remember that….Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the chapter!


	20. Faltering Heart

Author's note: Heey! Alright, so, now it's chapter 19! I feel like I really owe it you all for my long hiatus. I hope you all forgive me. Now...I'm thinking of ending book 1 next chapter. But I can't be too sure. Anyways, things are getting interesting. Well, I hope you enjoy!

.: Under The Stars :.

Book 1 – Sophomore

Faltering Heart

After the dinner with my friends, they decided to leave. I felt a little sad that they had to leave early but there was no arguing. It was getting late after all. School was tomorrow….The meeting too….

I didn't like thinking about it. I knew they were going to talk about individual failures and I was going to be the worst one. I groaned and dropped my pencil. Note to self: Thinking about Ambassador material and doing homework at the same time isn't healthy for the mental capacities of a young woman. As I returned my focus to the science homework in front of me, I heard something hit my window. I was startled and opened my window.

"What the devil…..?" I thought. An empty coke bottle was laying right outside my window. But it wasn't entirely empty. Inside, there was a folded letter. Curiously, I took the bottle and managed to get the letter. When I opened it, I quickly scanned the letter.

"_Kuchiki Rukia_

_Your powers are endless._

_It's time to unleash it._

_Follow the instructions below…_

_Unless you want your family involved with this war."_

My eyes widened with surprise as I stared at the instructions.

"What the h*ll…..?" I murmured.

XxXxXx

The next morning at school, I noticed that Kuchiki was walking in slower than usual.

"Hey, Kuchiki, what's wrong with you this morning?" I asked. She didn't respond.

"Kuchiki! Hey, Kuchiki?" I reached and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"WHAT IS IT, KUROSAKI?" She snapped, spinning around to slap my hand. Then I noticed it. In her eyes. Pain? Exhaustion?

"N-Nothing. Geez, you're so troublesome this morning."

"Well excuse my terrible attitude." She said, turned her heels, and walked off. Yet her pace was still slow.

As I watched her go, I took note of her eyes. Something happened after we left her house….

"Ichigo."

I turned around and saw Renji walking towards me. I managed a small wave.

"Hey."

"You alright?" He asked. "You were looking out into space."

"Ah, sorry. I was just wondering about our calculus exam 3rd period."

Renji laughed. "Don't worry bout it. We'll totally ace it."

"What do you mean by 'we'?"

Renji glared. "Me and You, stupid!"

"Oh."

"Are you calling me stupid?"

"Nah, not really…"

"You're f*cking lying." Then he looked at me, a serious face kicking in. "And about some other stuff."

I looked at him. "What are you talking about?"

"….Rukia…..She's different now."

"Different?"

"She was always afraid of guys. She didn't know how to respond to questions ask by males since all of her life was in an all girls school."

"What about her parents?"

"Her dad died days after her birth. She had no real brother. She had no male figures in her childhood. The only time she was ever able to talk to guys is when I, Kaien, or Hisana-san's husband is around…but even then it was subtle. Yet when she met you…She changed. She can easily speak to guys now. She seems easy around them."

"What are you trying to point out, Renji?" I asked.

"You did something to her."

"I think you're getting crazy, Renji. She's the same b*tchy girl when I first bumped into her on the first day of school. Nothing is different about her. She nags, she's troublesome, she's too complicated." But while I didn't admit it, Renji was right about how Rukia had changed. When I first met her, she was very 'etiquette' cautious and was formal around everyone. Now she's easy-going to some degree.

"Ichigo…Do her a favor and stay out of her way."

"You don't have to tell me that."

We glared at each other. Now Renji's acting strange…

In class, Kuchiki had placed a book up and pretended to read but instead placed her head down. Momo noticed this as well.

"Is Rukia ok?" She asked. "She usually READS the book…Not use it as a shield to sleep."

I shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe she overworked herself?"

"…..I'll go ask."

I quickly grabbed her shoulder and shook my head. "It's best to leave her alone."

Momo sighed. "I hope you're right…for her sake."

Once classes were over, I started to walk towards my locker when I saw Rangiku, Momo, and Kuchiki walking together. Rukia seemed a tad bit happier but her eyes….It still showed what I saw this morning. Pain. Exhaustion. And something else….Fear?

Rangiku caught my eyes and she smiled.

"Yo! Ichigo!" She called. "We're heading towards the Urahara Café! Make sure you get Renji!"

I nodded. "Sure."

Kuchiki glanced at me, made a face, and looked away as she walked with her two friends. I sighed. I guess she's almost normal…

After getting Renji, the two of us made our way to the Urahara Café.

"Think the meeting will be long?" Renji asked as we skateboarded towards the Café. I shrugged.

"Dunno. Shinji usually makes things pretty quick. But if Headmaster is there….well, we can't guarantee time."

"Yeah, you got a point."

We rode in silence until we reached the Café. Urahara and Yoruichi greeted us as usual and we walked upstairs after ordering. Everyone was there, even the Hitsugaya guy.

"You guys finally made it." Shinji said; his feet kicked up on the table. Renji shrugged.

"Not our fault that traffic is slow on the sidewalks."

We took our seats. Kuchiki sat across from me. She didn't even glance at me. Hm, well, that's common.

"Alright guys, we have 3 things to discuss in this meeting today." Shinji started, but his tone was nowhere close to laid-back.

"Three?" Rangiku asked. "You told me only two."

"Well, there's a new topic to discuss…and it's the most important one on the list."

A tense silence filled the atmosphere. We stared at Shinji, anticipating what he would say next.

"There was an apparent robbery last night." Shinji muttered. "Here, at our headquarters."

"What?" Hiyori and Rangiku yelled simultaneously.

"I thought the café closed down every night after 8." Kensei stated. Shinji looked gravely at the filing cabinets.

"It did." He said. "Yet someone managed to slip in here past hours, enter our headquarters, and get files from the cabinets."

"It must have been the Mundos!" Lisa said. We all nodded but at a glance, I noticed Kuchiki was shaking. But it was very subtle. Only someone with close observation could recognize it. Was she hiding something…?

"We can't jump into conclusions." Shinji exclaimed. "We'd be doing suicide if we did." He paused. "I assume it would be the Mundos but when I came in here this morning, everything seemed to be in check. The window didn't have a single crack; none of the furniture was messed with…well, except for the filing cabinet. One of the shelves was left open."

Kuchiki bit her lip. Yeah…she was hiding SOMETHING.

"We need to find that b*st*rd! The longer we wait, the more likely-" Renji exclaimed.

"They probably already have the information they need by now. For now, we'll just make sure the security in this place is tougher." Shinji interrupted. "Ichigo, Kuchiki, you two will take the first shift."

We nodded as Shinji continued.

"Next is our fight from the homecoming night…"

I decided not to listen to Shinji's talking. Instead, I watched Kuchiki. She didn't look at anyone…she only looked at her palms.

Once the meeting was over, we all stood up and either stayed by or left. Kuchiki was one of the first to leave. I quickly followed her.

XxXxXx

"No….No….No….the mission was flawed…." I muttered as I skated away from the café as fast as I could. "I'm going to be caught…I'm going to be caught…."

Suddenly, someone grabbed my shoulder. I screamed, whirled a kick, but was caught by….

"Kurosaki!" I exclaimed, aggravated. "Let go of my foot, d*nm you."

"I'm not the one who should be d*nmed, Kuchiki." He said, his tone serious. "But lets talk somewhere more private."

I glared. "I don't listen to you."

"You might as well before I report you to Shinji."

XxXxXx

Her eyes widened and she tensed.

"How do you…."

"Explain the details to me later." I muttered as I dragged her through the alleyway.

"Where the h*ll are you taking me, Kurosaki?" She demanded. I groaned.

"You're a troublesome little b*tch, you know that right…?"

"You're an a**hole."

"You need to get a new life."

"You need to find a new color for your carrot hair."

We bickered like this until we finally reached the training building. She took off the skates and we walked in.

"By the way…Where's your skateboard?" She asked. I sighed.

"I asked Renji to take it back to my house." I paused and turned to face her. "So, you what's up with you?"

She didn't look at me. Instead, she watched birds chirp outside the window.

"Where should I start….?"

I gave her a cushion to sit on. She accepted and sat down in front of me.

"Right after the party." I stated. She nodded and looked up.

"I was doing homework….everything was normal…when I got a message…I don't remember the message clearly. But it told me to do something…"

"You took information about our group." I interrupted. "Did you give it to someone?"

She continued to stare at the ceiling, thinking. Suddenly, her eyes widened and she clasped her head, agony written all over her face. She screamed.

"Kuchiki! Kuchiki!" I got up and wrapped my arms around her.

"The…The…..Make…the….pain….STOP!" She yelled louder and her fingers dug deeper to her head. I pressed her closer to my chest.

"It's alright…it's alright….Don't think about it anymore. It's alright…" I muttered. I was thankful for being able to comfort people. It was part of being an older brother…

She stopped yelling and she was finally silent. I let go.

"Sorry….looks like I'm clueless….." She muttered, evading eye contact. I sighed.

"It's fine…" I gazed at her cautiously. Kuchiki was able to speak as if none of her screaming ever happened…

"You're going to tell Shinji, aren't you…?"

"I can't do that if I don't have actual proof. Do you have the letter?"

She nodded and looked into her jacket pocket. She took out a folded sheet of paper and opened it. Her eyes widened.

"This is….."

I took the letter from her and saw nothing but a blank sheet.

"Are you messing with me, Kuchiki?" I asked, handing her the paper. She shook her head.

"I swear…It had the writing….Now…."

"Kuchiki, can I ask you something?"

She looked at me. "What?"

"Did you ever talk with the Mundo group….?"

"Of course not." She responded. "One of them is responsible for Kaien-dono's death…."

She made a fist. "I would never correspond with those sons of a b*tches even if my life was on the line. I'd rather die."

I smirked. "You're rather confident on that matter."

She didn't enjoy my humor. "Don't give me that bullsh*t."

"Sorry, my bad…" I stood up. "I'll take you back home."

She scoffed. "I don't need a bodyguard. I'm not a damsel in distress."

"Hm, I suppose you're not."

Kuchiki smirked and stood up as well. "But I guess I'll make the exception."

XxXxXx

I didn't trust Kurosaki. But what the problem was that I couldn't remember a single thing about after getting the note. Even the instructions were becoming to blur. Strangely enough, I was able to remember it fully throughout the meeting….Was this planned? But by who?

I gritted my teeth. I have to find out who did this to me. I refuse to be a tool.

"I'll come pick you up later for our guarding situation." Kurosaki murmured.

"Look, I'm fine with you taking me home, but I think I'll be-"

"It could cause suspicion."

I didn't respond. He had some logic in his statement…

"I could find out who did this to me." I said. He shook his head.

"Even if you did, the same thing would happen. You'd loss your memories of the action."

I sighed. Guess there was nothing I could do there. Once we arrived at my house, I waved goodbye and walked inside. Hisana smiled.

"How was school, Rukia?" She asked. I sighed.

"Oh, the usual, onee-san." I responded. "Sorry I'm a little late, though."

"That's fine. I was told that you had a club meeting. Was that good?"

"Karakura Ambassadors? Ah, yes…it was fine. We're preparing some school events for future use."

"Good thinking." I heard her frying pan being placed on the stove. "I'm going to cook some dinner."

"Ah, actually, one-san, can you make a bento version of my dinner?"

She turned her head. "Why so?"

"Ah, well…I'm going to be studying overnight at the school. I also have some club papers to finish. Don't worry, Kurosaki Ichigo will be helping me finish the papers."

She nodded. "Alright then."

I walked upstairs and saw an envelope on my bed. It had Kuchiki Rukia in the front. I glared.

"Sh…Should I open this…." I thought. I knew that something bad could happen if I did….Suddenly, my body froze.

"Open the envelope, Kuchiki-chan….." A voice echoed.

"It's you….again….." I muttered.

"Now, lets see what the letter has inside for you today…."

XxXxXxXx

I was on my way towards Kuchiki's apartment. The sun was setting and people were on their way back home.

"Kuchiki…" I thought. Once I was in front of the apartment building, I saw Kuchiki running out.

"What's up?" I asked. Suddenly, she pushed me away and started running down the street…I glared at her directions. Something was wrong. I quickly ran after her. Something was off about her.

As I chased her, she ran into an alleyway. That d*nm girl….

I turned and suddenly, I stopped moving. My intuition was telling me that something was extremely off. It was like a heavy, dark matter was pressing on me…I slowly took out the dagger and flicked it to turn into a sword. I wasn't going down without a fight.

As I walked through the alleyway, I heard the voice of laughter.

"Aw, looks like Kurosaki-kun is going to play my game too~!" A voice chirped.

"Who are you?" I yelled. Another voice of laughter.

"You're so funny, Kurosaki-kun. Ah, I know! Lets play hide-and-seek! If you find me, then I'll tell you who I am! But if you find Kuchiki-chan instead…" I heard a giggle. "You'll be in for a surprise!"

Suddenly, the alleyway altered. Everything around me did. In a flash, the walls were white and the sky was black.

"Try and find me!" The voice yelled, ending with a laugh. I grunted. It's literally like a maze. My movements were no longer held back so I quickly ran through the maze. What did the voice mean by a surprise….?

After running for what seemed to be 15 minutes, I stopped.

"Aw, do you give up so soon, Kurosaki-kun?" The voice asked.

"I don't have time to be playing with you…" I muttered and lifted my sword. "I didn't think I would have to use this technique…"

I took in a quick breath. "Dark Moon Technique: Eternal Chains."

I shifted my stance and swung my sword. A black and red matter came out from my blade. Instead of one strip, it separated into several matters and destroyed the walls around me. I heard the voice gasp.

"What are you doing to my beautiful maze, Kurosaki-kun?" The voice asked.

"Dark Moon Technique: Piercer of Heaven." A black matter came out from my blade and wiped out all the other walls. When the dust dispersed, only one person stood.

"Kuchiki…"

Her face was still blank but she pointed her blade at me. The voice laughed.

"Hoho, looks like you found Kuchiki-chan instead!"

I gritted my teeth. Sh*t….I didn't want to fight Kuchiki.

"So that's what my power would look like once I've completed it…." Kuchiki muttered. Her tone had no feeling. I gripped my sword with both hands and took a defensive stance. Kuchiki then pointed her blade to the sky.

"I will kill you, Kurosaki Ichigo." She stated. "And you will no longer get in my way."

I glared. "This isn't the real you. You're being controlled."

"Hoho, are you sure, Kurosaki-kun?" The voice asked. "These feelings are pretty genuine. I may have control over her movements and part of her emotions, but what she speaks is true. Those are true feelings that I found in the deepest portion of her heart."

"What…?" I murmured.

"It's not lying, Kurosaki Ichigo." Kuchiki muttered. "You were always in my way. You treated me like a weak girl. You never saw the real me. You never will. Prepare to die."

She rushed towards me and we clashed. I was driven back but I kept a firm stance and grip.

"White Moon: Dance 1." She murmured. Unlike my blade, there was no change to her sword. But her movements were fast. If I didn't think quickly enough, I would have been hit. I swiftly dodged it, used the dull side of the blade, and slashed at her. She jumped back.

"Why did you use the dull side of your sword, Kurosaki Ichigo?" She asked.

"I'm not going to hurt you. I promised Renji."

"Ren….Ji…." She murmured. At that moment, her eyes showed sorrow.

"Finish him off, Kuchiki-chan~!" The voice cheered. Kuchiki's eyes turned blank once more and she ran towards me. I dodged and swung a kick towards her. She ducked and I felt a stab on my thigh. Using the opening, I pointed my sword at her neck.

"Oh…?" Kuchiki murmured.

"I've got you…" I stated.

"Then why do you hesitate? Kill me…." Kuchiki noted. I took in a deep breath then looked at Kuchiki straight in the eye.

"Because everyone back in Karakura Ambassadors would be depressed about your death."

Her eyes then showed emotion.

"Everyone…"

"That's right. Renji, Rangiku, Momo…..even Inoue. You made your first group of friends since joining the Karakura Ambassadors. You're only a sophomore! Kuchiki-" I paused. "I mean…Rukia, you should cherish life, prove your skills to the world, and you'll be a great Ambassador. One who will protect the weak, the struggling, and the lonely from the pits of hell…your strong enough to beat this hypnotic trance. Don't let it engulf you, Rukia!"  
At that moment, she slowly removed her blade for my thigh and stepped back. I winced and knelt to the ground, still gripping on the hilt of my sword.

XxXxXx

"What are you doing, Kuchiki-chan?" The voice asked in my head.

"Ichigo is right." I said, finally able to say Kurosaki's first name without any disgust. "I'm strong enough to get out of this stupid trance. I'm smart enough not to listen to your stupid sayings."

I mustered the last of my strength and forced the inner thing inside me out. When I finally got control of my body, I could finally see where I was. Then I saw Ichigo, his thigh bleeding heavily.

"Ichigo!" I yelled, sheathed my sword, and ran towards him.

"Kuch….Rukia…..Are you alright?" He asked. I nodded.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Besides, I should be asking you if you're alright."

"Eh, this won't kill me at least….." He murmured. Suddenly, we heard a loud anguish cry.

"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE? WHAT IS WITH THIS? WHY DID KUCHIKI-CHAN BREAK MY HYPNOTIC TRANCE?" The voice asked. I stood up.

"Because friendship is stronger than any evil aura." I responded. "Even if we fall, someone will always be there to pick us up."

"FOOLISH! FRIENDSHIP IS NOTHING BUT A MERE NONEXISTENT BELIEF! ONLY THE LONE WOLF GETS THE PRIZE FOR HIMSELF!"

"Then die alone." I heard Ichigo say. "Rukia, lets go."

"YOU B*ST*RDS! YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO LEAVE WITHOUT-"

"White Moon: Dance 1." I murmured as I quickly unsheathed my sword. But this time, I could feel a new power within me unleash. The blade turned frozen white and I took my normal stance, a cool breeze danced around me. With a simple slice, a snowy white matter erupted from my blade and destroyed the walls that confined us in this hypnotic box.

"I'LL BE BACK, KUCHIKI-CHAN, KUROSAKI-KUN! I SWEAR!" The voiced yelled before it disappeared forever. At that moment, everything crashed around us until we were at the alleyway once more.

"It looks like we're back…" I said. Ichigo nodded.

"Yeah, finally….Agh…." He fell to his knee and gripped his bleeding thigh. "Crap…."

"C'mon, lets head for Doctor Unohana." I exclaimed. "She'll get it wrapped up in a flash."

Once we arrived at Dr. Unohana's office, she was working on paperwork. When she saw Ichigo, she immediately began to heal him. I was just relieved that Ichigo was ok….besides, he was the first male to enter my faltering heart. He deserved to be called by his first name and….

Be called my friend.

XxXxXxX

"You've failed me again, Homura." He said, his tone showing superiority and evil. I lowered my head.

"Please forgive me, Aizen-sama….I will not fail you again."

"Do you want your brother to die?"

"Please! I beg of you, Aizen-sama, please don't kill Shizuku! He's the only family I have left! I swear that I will-"

"Your existence is no longer needed. You are no longer welcomed in my League."

"And my brother…..?"

"Will die." I turned and saw Ichimaru Gin walking beside Aizen. I stood up, clenching my fist.

"I DID EVERYTHING YOU ASKED! YOU COULD AT LEAST FREE MY BROTHER FROM YOUR D*NM-"

Suddenly, everything went numb. I didn't even sense it at first….until it finally hit me….

"Aw, you didn't have to kill 'er, Headmaster Aizen." I heard Gin say.

"Her brother will follow her lead later. Loly, Menoly, get this student out of my office…"

And everything went mute.

* * *

Note: Woohoo! Yes! This was awesome! Ok, so, I admit, I added more….non-realistic material than I wanted but hey, I never said that this would be a normal everyday high school story, right? I've been busy watching Katekyo Hitman Reborn and Code Geass so watch me add hints and tints of those anime's plotlines coming into action with my Bleach story! xDD Don't worry, it's still a Bleach story (ichiruki) and stuff but the plot might be different every here and there. Yay!  
Edit 1: (Sunday April 17, 2011)  
I'm sorry for making you all wait. This chapter was written January 30th, 2011. To think I'm able to finally upload it onto my account after 3 and a half months of hiatus...It's shocking. I want to deeply apologize for not being able to write as often as I should. I guess I have a tendency to start something and never finish it...But I hope this story is not the case. I will eventually finish Book 1 but Book 2 is undetermined. And after reading some of my other drafted chapters, I doubt chapter 20 will be the last chapter in Book 1. But then again, I'm not sure what to do now. Anyways, thank you for reading and I hope you continue supporting my writing! -Blaze

Ok, please remember to review and fav/alert! Thank you guys!


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